ArchivesTag : constitution
Reprieve for terror suspects’ families
Courts will no longer be able to seize cash or property from the families of criminals convicted of financing terror or laundering money.
Bahrain’s law previously allowed them to do so, but it was ruled as unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court yesterday.
This also means authorities cannot freeze assets of the families of suspects facing similar charges.
Attorney [...]
Report Cites Bid by Sunnis in Bahrain to Rig Elections
Shiites in Bahrain demonstrated Friday against what they said was a government effort to grant citizenship to Sunnis from other Arab countries.
Just months before Bahrain is to hold parliamentary and municipal elections, a former government adviser has set off a political firestorm with a report describing what he says is a vast conspiracy to rig [...]
Row over ‘false petition’ to UN
A prominent member of the political opposition has challenged a human rights activist to a public debate after the latter accused him of providing false information to the United Nations.
Representatives of The Haq Movement of Liberties and Democracy visited UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s office on August 14 to submit a petition asking the UN [...]
New licences ruled out
Information Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar last night
ruled out granting any new licences to private radio and television channels. “There is no law regulating such activities”, he added.
GDN :: 24 June ‘06 (pdf)
Letter to His Majesty Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on the Amendments to Law 18 (1973) on Public Gatherings
June 8, 2006
His Majesty Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
Office of His Majesty the King
Rifa’a Palace
Kingdom of Bahrain
Your Highness:
We are writing to express concern regarding the draft law governing public meetings and demonstrations, known as Amendments to Law 18/1973. It is our understanding that the Majlis al-Nawwab and the Legislative Committee [...]
King Should Reject Law on Public Gatherings
The Bahraini government’s draft legislation on public meetings and demonstrations undermines the right of peaceful assembly, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter urging Bahrain’s king not sign the bill into law.
The draft law will be the first significant human rights-related legislation to come before Bahrain’s king, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for [...]
Spending details sought
MPs are demanding a breakdown of Royal Court spending and are asking for it to be included in the government’s closing budget statement for last year.
Parliament’s financial and economic committee says it has received an unofficial figure, but does not know whether or not it went over budget.
“We still haven’t got anything in detail about [...]
MPs in bid to overturn vote
A decision by parliament to only question government ministers on irregularities behind closed doors could be overturned.
Ten MPs have signed an urgent request to scrap last week’s controversial vote and have a fresh one.
Ministers could previously be summoned before a full session of parliament and be grilled on the open floor, but only after first [...]
شيخ دين مقاطع ومهندس عرائض من قلب قرية «قلالي»
«حــق» ليســت متشــددة
قلالي – فهيم عبدالله
يمثل وضعا غريبا بالنسبة إليه كرجل دين سني، إذ كان على رأس مجموعة معارضة جريئة إبان أيام أمن الدولة.
.. وكان ضمن مجموعة مهندسي العرائض التاريخية بدءاً من العريضة النخبوية في مطلع التسعينات والعريضة الشعبية بعدها بسنين، ومن ثم العريضة الأممية التي تجمع توقيعاتها حركة «حق» في هذه الأيام، يكاد [...]
Hospitals and malls out of bounds for Bahrain rallyists
Bahrain’s lower house has approved a new law that bans rallies near airports, hospitals and shopping malls, but allows them on the main avenues and near diplomatic missions.
Rallies are also banned in locations deemed security-sensitive by the Interior Minister, the Council of Representatives agreed on Tuesday afternoon following a heated debate over the merits of [...]
Reduce voting age to 18 plea
Bahrain’s next parliamentary and municipal elections could see 24,000 new voters if the voting age is reduced from 21 to 18, according to a youth group.
The government has already reduced the voting age to 20 last month.
The decision followed calls from MPs and youth organisations for voting age to be reduced to 18 in line [...]
Equal rights plea to UN
Women’s rights activist Ghada Jamsheer submitted an appeal to the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva for help in her fight for a personal status law in Bahrain. The Women’s Petition Committee head is currently leading a delegation of 15 women on a two-week trip to Europe, which began last week.
Ms Jamsheer met UN [...]
Fresh blow for Press law plan
Bahrain’s new Press law suffered another blow yesterday when MPs refused to discuss it due to “unclear” recommendations by its services committee. Discussion, which began on April 18, resumed at yesterday’s parliament session but was cut short by protests of a group of MPs.
They said the services committee, which prepared its views on the law [...]
Freedom of Press in peril
The Bahraini Press corps is preparing for a showdown with the religious groups who are launching a campaign against liberal journalists, especially the daily Al Ayam, according to a report in the online Arabic newspaper Elaph.
Al Asala Islamic Society and the National Menber Islamic Society have called upon both the Sunnis and the Shias to [...]
UK firm seeks MP’s apology
A British film company accused of corruption by a Bahrain MP yesterday said it would consider taking legal action against him unless he retracted his statement.
Worldwide Pictures chairman Ray Townsend warned parliament legislative and legal affairs committee chairman Yousif Zainal to publicly withdraw his comments or face the consequences.
During a parliament session on April 12, [...]
