Al Jazeera flayed for false claim

Manama : The Human Rights Committee in the House of Representatives yesterday criticised Al Jazeera News channel for making false allegations on human rights conditions in Bahrain.

Referring to a report aired on Al Jazeera last week, alleging human rights violations in Bahrain, the Committee Head MP Mohammed Al Maarifi said that the channel was quoting anonymous human rights organisations to substantiate its false claim.

“The so-called international news agency airs reports that is based on false information,” Al Maarifi said condemning the channel.

“The channel has no credibility. Politicising media in such a way is a danger to the security and peace in the region, especially since Al Jazeera has been continuing this practice since its inception. It’s a dangerous threat to the region’s security and peace. It was established to provoke chaos,” he said in a statement issued here yesterday.

Al Maarifi confirmed that the parliamentary committee visited detainees and is monitoring correctional institutions to ensure that no human rights violations take place.

“The concerned authorities in Bahrain and for more than once welcomed all the inspectors and observers from internationally recognised bodies, and expressed their full readiness to cooperate with them in regards to the human rights file,” he said.

“The international human rights report, which was presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva at its thirteenth session, has already been praised by all countries of the world for the great reform steps taken by His Majesty the King and the wise leadership in promoting freedoms and protecting human rights,” Al Maarifi said, referring to several independent authorities that are concerned with human rights situations in the Kingdom such as the National Institute for Human Rights, the Prisoners and Detainees Rights Commission and the Special Investigation Unit at the Public Prosecution.

Al Maarifi also stressed that the Human Rights Committee in the House of Representatives is the true representative of the entire Bahraini people.