On July 15, 2005 a group of demonstrators, among them human rights defenders, gathered following a call for assembly from the (unofficial) Unemployed Committee to protest the fact that the Bahraini national budget had been passed by Parliament and the Shura Council without provision for a social welfare fund for the unemployed and low earners. The police accused the demonstrators of attempting to march into the National Assembly complex to pelt it with rotten eggs and tomatoes. Several protesters were reportedly fiercely beaten by the Bahraini police forces, about 32 demonstrators were reported wounded and were taken to hospitals, a part of them are suffering from several fractures. The Bahraini Parliament backed the police action and condemned the rally as a threat to democracy and an insult to all Bahraini citizens. On July 17, 2005 a new demonstration gathering around 1500 persons, was peacefully hold to denounce the alleged beating by police of protesters on July 15, 2005.
FIDH recalls that on June 19, 2005, the anti-riot police had cracked down on another protest gathering jobless Bahrainis by using excessive force, around 30 demonstrators were arrested for « protesting in a prohibited zone » and released the day after.
FIDH is concerned by these violations of human rights and individual liberties in particular as regards the denial of the freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly.
FIDH calls upon the Bahraini authorities :
– to ensure the freedom of expression to all the Bahraini citizens as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bahrain and international human rights instruments and in particular, by article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as recommended by several UN Committees which recently assessed the Kingdom of Bahrain;
– to ensure the freedom of peaceful assembly and to conform in particular, to 1998 UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and among others, Art. 5 b. which stipulates that « for the purpose of promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, everyone has the right, individually and in association with others (...) to meet or assemble peacefully ».