Bahrain Live Blog

In accordance with a United Nations process, Bahrain has agreed to consider recommendations to release political prisoners, outlaw torture and be a party to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Wednesday's announcement by the UNHRC could open up the Gulk kingdom to international prosecutions of alleged abuses in its handling of a now 15-month uprising.

In a review of Manama's record, the UN's top human rights body said Bahrain will consider 176 recommendations submitted by other nations.

The report is part of a process that each of the 193 UN member states must undergo every four years.

Jailed Bahraini activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, on hunger strike for more than three months, was brought to court in a wheelchair on Tuesday when the retrial resumed of 13 men imprisoned over protests that rocked the island last year, activists said.

A military court convicted the men last year of using violence in protests led by majority Shia Muslims in an effort to topple the Sunni monarchy.

Bahrain's highest appeals court ordered a retrial last month for 21 protest leaders, ruling that they should be retried in a civilian court. Seven of them were convicted in absentia and are abroad or in hiding, and one, Horr al-Sumaikh, was released by the appeals court.

The court did not order the release of the remaining 13 or cancel their convictions, despite calls by international rights
groups for their unconditional release. Eight of them are serving life sentences.

"He (Khawaja) showed up in court in a wheelchair today," Mohammed al-Maskati of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights told Reuters by phone from Manama.

[Source - Reuters]

The Associated Press reports:

Bahraini officials defended the Gulf kingdom's record before the UN's top human rights body Monday by insisting that the government has moved to investigate alleged abuses and compensate victims during the 15-month uprising by majority Shias against the ruling Sunni monarchy.

The UN Human Rights Council's review of Bahrain's human rights record, part of a routine assessment that all 193 UN member nations undergo every four years, comes at a particularly sensitive time following widespread protests and the monarchy's crackdown on dissent.

Al Jazeera sought a response from Fahad AlBinali of the Bahrain Information Affairs Authority. However, the Skype connection on which we contacted AlBinali was poor so the interview was halted. AlBinali later sent a statement to us via e-mail:

The right to freedom of expression is guaranteed in Bahrain constitutionally and by international obligations. No one is arrested for merely protesting. It is important to draw a distinction between protests/demonstrations and riots and not adopt a very loose definition of protests. Protests, that adhere to the law and follow proper procedure, are a regular occurrence as evidenced by the frequently occurring protest that take place here in Bahrain.

Mr Khaleel Marzoug's claim that they are not free to protest or express their opinion is difficult to reconcile with the fact that his political society and others' almost regular weekly protest that draw thousands. However, the government distinguishes protests/demonstrations and riots where acts of vandalism, violence and disruption are often committed. It is unfortunate that the line between that two is often blurred leading to inaccurate misconceptions. It must be stated that even the most liberal of democracies draw the line at intentional acts of disruption, violent assault at police officers, and Molotov cocktails.'