Gulf, Arab Condemnation of European Parliament Decision on Human Rights in Bahrain
SMA NEWS – Manama
A decision issued by the European Parliament on human rights in Bahrain was met with strong rejection at the Gulf and Arab levels.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) condemned the decision, underlining the importance of committing to credibility in obtaining information, avoiding fallacies and unreliable sources, and preventing the politicization of human rights issues.
In a statement on Friday, GCC Secretary-General Dr. Nayef al-Hajraf expressed his rejection of the decision issued by the European Parliament, which he said included incorrect allegations and fallacies that have nothing to do with the truth and were based on sources seeking to harm Bahrain’s reputation.
He also emphasized the GCC states’ keenness to support and promote human rights in accordance with the provisions of the 2014 GCC Declaration on Human Rights.
Al-Hajraf praised the achievements made by Bahrain in the field of protecting and respecting human rights and ensuring the preservation of basic freedoms, stressing the determination of the GCC countries to continue efforts in this regard in accordance with international standards and pacts.
Calling on the need to avoid politicizing human rights issues, he said he was surprised that the European Parliament resorted to issuing such a decision without neither communicating with the competent authorities in Bahrain, nor verifying the allegations, in violation of all norms and principles.
Meanwhile, the Arab Parliament announced its complete rejection of the European Parliament’s decision. Adel bin Abdulrahman Al-Asoumi, head of the Arab Parliament, expressed his strong condemnation of the move, stressing that it “represents an unacceptable transgression and a blatant interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain.”
“Such decisions have no legal or political value, in addition to being unjustified slander and insults to the progress made by the Kingdom in the field of protecting and promoting human rights and ensuring basic freedoms,” he stated.
