Bahraini activists protest against Iranian prying

Manama : Human rights activists from Bahrain staged a demonstration against the Iranian interference in Middle East countries during the 32nd Session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva yesterday.

The activists, who are part of Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society (BHRWS), will hold meetings with UN Member States, NGOs and UN officials to explain how Bahrain and other countries in the region suffer due to Iranian intervention. 

“We will raise issues of human rights violations in the world, especially in Iran and its funding of terrorism in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries,” BHRWS said in a statement. 

“We have spoken out during the HRC session. We are also organising fringe events on the sidelines of the session. This is part of our efforts to bring international attention to this issue. There are some human rights organisations in the West that criticise Bahrain and the GCC but ignore Iran’s blatant violations. We want to show them the facts and ask them why they are ignoring it,” said BHRWS General Secretary Faisal Fulad. 

Fulad was part of another campaign organised by the International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances in Iran (ICAEDI), which aims to bring to light Iran’s human rights violations against Iranian and Baluch journalists and activists. 

Fulad, who is also the General Coordinator of ICAEDI, said “We staged demonstrations in London last week. Activists from Syria, Yemen, Bahrain and other Middle Eastern countries took part. We are planning for more demonstrations next Sunday.”

Meanwhile, the BHRWS condemned the terrorist attack on Istanbul Airport on Tuesday. “The international human rights movements are deeply saddened by this latest terrorist atrocity. We express our deepest condolences to all those affected,” Fulad said. 

“The values that NGOs stand for - democracy, solidarity, fundamental rights and equality - are essential in defeating the causes of terrorism. We call on the Turkish Government and other governments to ensure the full application of the rule of law to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice,” BHRWS stated.