Fewer complaints were investigated by Bahrain's chief rights watchdog last year reflecting the country's improved human rights record, according to officials.

The National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) said it had registered a 25 per cent drop in the number of actionable complaints between 2013, when 118 investigations were launched, and last year when just 88 claims were looked into, reported the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

Complaints have related to everything from civil and political rights including the right to fair trial, mistreatment, personal security, travel ban cases among expatriates and allegations of sectarianism.

Meanwhile, the Seef-headquartered institution has also provided administrative and consultative services in 124 cases last year compared to 84 in 2013.

These largely involved forwarding complaints to the ministry concerned or providing legal assistance.

“The NIHR team has investigated different claims, including some urgent cases that were directly referred to the authorities concerned for action,” its vice-chairman and complaints monitoring and follow-up committee head Dr Abdulla Al Deerazi told the GDN.

“There has been an improvement in the rights situation, which combined with public awareness means people have trust in the NIHR as an effective mediator between the public and the government.”

Dr Al Deerazi said some government bodies addressed the complaints forwarded by them in a timely manner, while others had not been co-operating fully.

“We published our annual report last year, in which we named those institutions that did not co-operate with us and since then things have changed,” he said.

Credibility

“Even some opposition groups were surprised by the content and frankness of the report, which has further strengthened our credibility abroad and we will soon release our second annual report in the coming months.”

The official said that they were continuously monitoring the trials of opposition activists such as Al Wefaq National Islamic Society's secretary general Shaikh Ali Salman, who was arrested in December after being accused of inciting violence and calling for the use of force.

“We attended the first court session of Shaikh Ali Salman and will be present on February 25, when the second hearing takes place,” said Dr Al Deerazi.

“Violence is not the solution to any problem and since 2011 there has been lot of improvement in the human rights situation, but still there are areas for improvement.”

“For example, there should be accountability of all acts as even an illegal act by a low ranking officer can affect the entire country.”

Dr Al Deerazi said Bahrain was in a much better position than some countries in the region, which had been wracked by the rise of radical terrorist groups and the atrocities they commit.

“We need to strengthen our internal front and stop giving reasons for anyone to criticise us,” he said.

“The problem we are facing is that we are spending millions on public relations exercises rather than spending it inside the country.

“Because of the exaggerations of social media and other reports, external observers still see Bahrain as a battlefield when in fact it's a peaceful area.”

The NIHR was formed by His Majesty King Hamad in 2009 to work with state agencies and draft Bahrain's rights reports, hold conferences and workshops and develop efforts to promote human rights.

It was restructured in 2013 and had new members appointed for a renewable four-year term.

The GDN reported last month that under changes approved by the National Assembly in May, the NIHR is again being restructured with two additional board members - making 11 in total.

The two new members will be appointed by Royal Decree. - TradeArabia News Service