Report by : Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights

Full Report-EN

Full Report-AR

Introduction

The Kingdom of Bahrain signed on the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 13 February 1992, and it acceded to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography and the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict on 21 September 2002.

The Bahraini government presented its first and second reports in the year 1994 in regards to the measures the country is taking towards the Convention on the Child, and in the year 2002, the Bahraini government presented a report on its international obligations on the rights of the child in the committee’s meeting number “796”.

According to the Bahraini constitution issued in the year 2002, article “37” states that treaties sanctioned by the State have the force of law.

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Statement by Lord Avebury on the refusal of visa to Mr al-Maskati, President of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, to attend a seminar on human rights and democracy in Bahrain, helf under my chairmanship in the House of Lords on Thursday December 18.

On December 14 I learned that Mr al-Maskati had been told more than once by the British Consulate in Manama that his application for a visa to attend and speak at the seminar being held under my chairmanship at the House of Lords on December 18 was still being processed, and since there were only a few days left for him to make his travel arrangements I emailed a senior official in the Consulate as follows:

May I please ask for your help with the application for a visa by Mr Mohammed al-Masqati of Bahrain Youth for Human Rights, who is an invited speaker at a seminar on Bahrain that I’m chairing in the Moses Room, House of Lords, on Thursday? He has attended the Consulate but has been told that his application is still under consideration, and I’m getting anxious, as tomorrow is the last working day in Manama before our seminar.

If you would kindly email me in the morning, I hope to say that the visa is being granted, it would be helpful.

On receiving an automatic ‘Out of office’ reply saying the official would be away until December 29 and giving an alternate email address, I forwarded the original email to the suggested address with a covering note as follows:

I had an ‘out of office’ reply to this email, and since the matter is indeed urgent, I would be grateful if you would email me in the morning.

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MANAMA: Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights president Mohammed Al Maskati has been unable to obtain a visa to visit the UK because his application did not fulfil technical requirements within British immigration rules. He was scheduled to give a presentation in London on Thursday at the invitation of Lord Eric Avebury.

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=238130&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=31275

Due to his Participation in a Human Rights Symposium in the British House of Lords:

The British Embassy in Bahrain prevents a human rights activist from getting a visa

Manama, Oslo – 18 December 2008

The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights -BYSHR and the Arab-Euro Center for Human Rights and International Law-AECHR express their deep concern regarding the measures the British embassy in Bahrain took in delaying the procedures of obtaining a visa for entering the British lands for Mr. Mohammed Al-Maskati – president of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights – in order to participate in a symposium held by Lord Eric Avebury – member of the British House of Lords [ ] – regarding human rights issues in Bahrain. Mr. Avebury had extended an invitation to Mr. Al-Maskati to participate with a paper on human rights issues in Bahrain on 18 December 2008 at the headquarters of the British House of Lords in London.

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