Leading Bahrain human rights organisations have supported a call by Ceartas – Irish Lawyers for Human Rights urging the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) to expel Dr. Ali bin Fadhel Al-Buainain from its executive committee. In April 2013 a complaint was lodged by Ceartas detailing how Al-Buainain has overseen a systematic pattern of human rights abuses and breaches of basic judicial principles at a public prosecution level.
Bahrain’s state media recently announced that Bahrain’s Attorney General Dr. Al-Buainain was re-elected by his peers to the Executive Committee of the IAP. However, Ceartas has learned that Dr. Al-Buainain had yet to secure his position and was seeking re-election at the IAP’s 18th Annual General Meeting in Moscow, 11th September 2013. Civil society groups from Bahrain have published an open letter, published below, urging all IAP delegates not to support Dr Al-Buainain’s re-election bid given the findings in the Ceartas complaint and the continuing human right infringements Bahraini citizens are facing through the judicial system.
Ceartas maintains that his position in the IAP is untenable given that the IAP objectives are to protect human rights, due process, fair procedures and pubic prosecution standards at an international level. Dr Al-Buainain’s election is proceeding despite the fact that IAP President and former director of public prosecutions in Ireland, Mr James Hamilton acknowledged receipt of the complaint and saying that it was “on the agenda”.
The Ceartas report on Dr. Al-Buainain received backing from numerous groups including the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Frontline Defenders, European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, Lawyers Rights Watch Canada, the Freedom of Expression Institute, the Gulf Center for Human Rights, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression.
Open Letter to IAP
To: Mr John Hamilton, President of the International Association of Prosecutors.
In April of this year a complaint was lodged to your organisation based on a report by Ceartas – Irish Lawyers for Human Rights concerning the Bahraini representative on the Executive Committee of the IAP, Dr. Ali bin Fadhel Al- Buainain. The report details how Dr Al-Buainain as head of the Office of Public Prosecution in Bahrain has overseen a systematic pattern of human rights abuses and breaches of basic judicial principles at a public prosecution level. It maintains that his position in the IAP is untenable given that the IAP objectives are to protect human rights, due process, fair procedures and pubic prosecution standards at an international level.
While the complaint has been acknowledged by your offices Dr. Al-Buainain has nonetheless sought to be re-elected to the Executive Committee at your 18th Annual General Meeting in Moscow on the 11th September. We would therefore urge you and all other delegates not to support Dr A-Buainain’s re-election bid given the bona fide and widely backed findings in the Ceartas report and the continuing human right infringements Bahraini citizens are facing through the judicial system.
We hope that you will take our views into consideration and act accordingly.
Bahrain Center for Human Rights
Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights.
Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain