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Action Alert: Bahrain/UN – Write letters demanding that Bahrain bid for UN rights body is rejected

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Action Alert: Bahrain/UN – Write letters demanding that Bahrain bid for UN rights body is rejected

16 July 2012

Contents

1. Summary
2. Background
3. Action required
4. Sample letter
5. Addresses for sample letter

1. Summary

IHRC has obtained leaked documents which reveal that Bahrain is seeking to gain a seat on the advisory committee of the UN Human Rights Council. Their application is to be shamefully supported by Pakistan, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and even some human rights organisations within Bahrain.

Write to your foreign secretary, and to the president of the Human Rights Council Laura Dupuy Lasserre. Demand that your country rejects the application of Bahrain, and that the president of the Council does the same. Request that the human rights organisation in question is no longer recognised by the UN as a legitimate NGO.

2. Background

IHRC has obtained leaked documents which reveal that Bahrain is seeking to gain a seat on the advisory committee at the UN Human Rights Council. Their application is to be shamefully supported by Pakistan, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and even some human rights organisations within Bahrain.

The al-Khalifah’s intend to use their seat on the advisory committee of the Human Rights Council to conceal their own human rights violations, and their continued suppression of dissent and basic freedoms.

The regime of the al-Khalifah monarchy in Bahrain has appalling human rights record, dating back to well before the Islamic Awakening in Bahrain in 2011. Whilst foreign advisors consulting the Bahraini regime in methods of repression have come and gone, there has thus been continuity in the brutality dealt out for decades to ordinary Bahrainis wanting a more just society.

The Bahraini regime’s attempt to present itself as a suitable candidate to advise on issues of human rights at the UN does not just make a mockery of the Human Rights Council. It also reflects the cynical manner with which it has attempted to cover up its own crimes.

3. Action Required

IHRC requests its campaigners and supporters to write letters and emails to the foreign minister of their country; and the president of the UN Human Rights Council Laura Dupuy Lasserre. Demand that they act ensure that Bahrain is not given a seat on the advisory committee. Request that the human rights organisation in question is no longer recognised by the UN as a legitimate NGO.

4. Sample letters
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Sample letters are given below for your convenience. Please note that model letters can be sent directly or adjusted as necessary to include further details. If you receive a reply to the letter you send, we request you to send a copy of the letter you sent and the reply you received to IHRC. This is very important as it helps IHRC to monitor the situation with regards to our campaigns and to improve upon the current model letters.

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a) Minister of foreign affairs in your country. (UK campaigners can write using the address supplied below, fax: +44 (0)20 7839 2417 or email: private.office@fco.gov.uk)

The al-Khalifah’s intend to use their seat on the Human Rights Advisory Council to conceal their own human rights violations, and their continued suppression of dissent and basic freedoms.

The regime of the al-Khalifah monarchy in Bahrain has appalling human rights record, dating back to well before the uprising in Bahrain in 2011. Whilst foreign advisors consulting the Bahraini regime in methods of repression have come and gone, there has thus been continuity in the brutality dealt out for decades to ordinary Bahrainis wanting a more just society.

As foreign minister, you must ensure that our country opposes Bahrain’s membership to this committee on the UN Human Rights Council. Failure to do so will further compound the image of the UN as a tool for dictatorial regimes to manipulate in times when its international standing is in jeopardy. It will also indicate that the UK is not serious about upholding human rights in the Middle-East, and instead only seeks to exploit the region’s politics for its own ends.

I look forward to you reply.

Yours sincerely,

[Your signature]
[Your name]

b) President of the UN Human Rights Council, Ms Laura Dupuy Lasserre.

Ms Laura Dupuy Lassere,
President of UN Human Rights Council,
c/o Secretariat, Human Rights Council,
UNOG-OHCHR,
1211 Geneva 10,
SWITZERLAND

Email: hrcpresidency@ohchr.org

[Your name]
[Your address]

[Date]

Dear Ms Laura Dupuy Lasserre,

Re: Leaked documents show that Bahrain seeks seat at UN Human Rights Council.

The al-Khalifah’s intend to use their seat on the Human Rights Advisory Council to conceal their own human rights violations, and their continued suppression of dissent and basic freedoms.

As president of the UN Human Rights Council, you must ensure that Bahrain’s application is rejected on account of its dire human rights record. Bahrain cannot be allowed to cultivate an image of itself as free and democratic at the UN until the al-Khalifah regime is held to account for its decades of abuses.

In the same regard, the UN Human Rights Council should also reconsider its recognition of the NIHR as a human rights non-governmental organisation. It is clear that they are supporting the application of Bahrain not out of a genuine commitment to human rights, but instead as a means of appeasing the existing regime.

I anticipate your reply with great interest.

Yours sincerely,

[Your signature]
[Your name]
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5. Addresses for sample letters

a) Minister for Foreign Affairs in Australia.

Australian campaigners can write to:

The Hon Kevin Rudd MP,
House of Representatives,
Parliament House,
Canberra ACT 2600.

Telephone: (02) 6277 7500

b) Minister of Foreign Affairs in Canada.

Canadian campaigners can write to:

Minister of Foreign Affairs – John Baird,
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada,
125 Sussex Drive,
Ottawa, ON, Canada,
K1A 0G2.

c) Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia.

Indonesian campaigners can write to:

Dr R.M. Marty M. Natalegawa
Jl. Pejambon No.6.
Jakarta Pusat, 10110
Indonesia

Telephone: (62 21) 344 15 08

d) Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia.

Malaysian campaigners can write to:

Honourable Dato’ Sri Anifah Hj. Aman
Wisma Putra, No 1, Jalan Wisma Putra,
Precint 2, 62602 PUTRAJAYA
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“And what reason have you that you should not fight in the way of Allah and of the weak among the men and the women and the children, (of) those who say: Our Lord! Cause us to go forth from this town, whose people are oppressors, and give us from Thee a guardian and give us from Thee a helper.”
Holy Qur’an: Chapter 4, Verse 75

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