The National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) has called on all countries, organisations and human rights activists to step up cooperation among them and to exert more efforts to support torture victims through rejecting and not allowing acts that lead to cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment.
This would be achieved only through doubling efforts to prevent torture, NIHR said.
In a statement marking the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, which falls on June 26, the NIHR lauded the advanced and prestigious level reached by the Kingdom of Bahrain in eliminating all forms of torture under the Reform Project spearheaded by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, as highlighted by the NIHR during its participation in meetings of the 60th session of the Committee Against Torture (CAT) and Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
The NIHR said that it had submitted parallel reports including details about the legislative and non-legislative procedures taken by the Kingdom in order to comply with the provisions of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, ratified by Bahrain as per Decree-Law 4/1998.
The procedures included the redefinition of the torture crime in the Bahraini Law in accordance with the convention through the issuance of Law 52/2012 on amending articles 208 and 232 of the Penal Code.
They also included the Reformation and Rehabilitation Law, promulgated by Law 18/2014, issued in response to a recommendation made by the NIHR in its first annual report in 2013 in this regard, the statement explained.
The NIHR also highlighted the establishment of the National Victims’ Compensation Fund as per Law 30/2011, which the statement said, was a positive step embodying the implementation of the basic principles and guidelines on the right to a just remedy and reparation for victims of serious violations of International Human Rights Law or the International Humanitarian Law.
The NIHR also highlighted the procedures it had taken in this regard, including its annual training programmes, such as the human rights programme for the police staff, conducted in cooperation the Royal Academy of Police (RAP), the specialised human rights training programme for debutant lawyers, and the Future Judges Project, conducted in cooperation with the Supreme Judicial Council.
The NIHR also affirmed in its statement its unwavering efforts to consolidate human rights in the kingdom in cooperation with its partners and the relevant local and regional parties, through dealing responsibly with all torture cases, and contributing to putting forward policies that strengthen cooperation with the relevant regional and international mechanisms.
The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture is a commemorative day which takes place every June 26. On this day in 1987, the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Degrading and Inhuman Treatment or Punishment, which aims to avoid, ban and prohibit torture, went into effect.

Source: Fana News