I am aware of the events in question and am deeply concerned by such reports. Ireland has continually advocated that civil society actors must be free to operate in a safe and enabling environment, free from repression. Ireland’s concerns on such human rights issues in Bahrain have been conveyed regularly to the Bahraini authorities.
At the second Universal Periodic Review of Bahrain in May 2012 at the Human Rights Council Ireland recommended that Bahrain amend any article of its Penal Code that can be used to prosecute individuals for the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly or association, and bring its laws into line with international standards established by the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights.
Ireland was one of 47 member states who delivered a joint statement expressing serious concern over the human rights situation in Bahrain at the 26th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in June of 2014. In this statement, the signatories expressed their concern regarding the protection of human rights in Bahrain and called on the government to expedite the implementation of the recommendations received from the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry in this regard.
At the 27th session of the Human Rights Council in September 2014, in a national statement, Ireland again expressed our serious concerns about the human rights situation, in particular condemning ‘the continuing arbitrary detention of human rights defenders, detained for peacefully exercising their human rights’.
The situation faced by human rights defenders in Bahrain has also been raised with the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders.
Human rights defenders and civil society actors, whether in Bahrain or elsewhere, should not be detained or persecuted for simply exercising their rights.
I am aware of reports of the revocation of citizenship referred to. I would recall Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that, “Everyone has the right to a nationality” and, “No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality.” Without due process, no one should be deprived of their nationality.
Ireland will continue to raise its concerns in relation to these matters.
