Bahrain's efforts to boost human rights highlighted

Geneva, Sep. 15 (BNA): The National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) delegation, led by NIHR Vice President Abdullah Al Derazi, met with Secretary General of the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) Mark Thomson. The meeting, which was attended by member of the Board of Commissioners and the Complaint, Monitoring and Follow-up Committee Dr. Hamid Hussain, was held on the sidelines of the delegation's participation in the 33rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Al Derazi welcomed APT Secretary General and briefed him on Bahrain's efforts in institutional building by setting up the Special Investigation Unit, the Prisoners and Detainees Rights Commission (PDRC) and the Ombudsman, pointing out cooperation between those parties and NIHR. He added that the National Institution for Human Rights had paid many visits to the Reform and Rehabilitation Centres to investigate complaints by detainees and prisoners. Dr. Hamid Hussain explained the mechanism of receiving complaints and requests for assistance regarding issues pertaining to the institution's specialties, pointing out the institution's efforts to remove all obstacles. On his part, APT Secretary General lauded the efforts of the National Institution for Human Rights in boosting human rights through cooperation with PDRC, the Special Investigation Unit and the Ombudsman. The meeting was attended by Head of the Committees Affairs in NIHR Secretariat General Eman Al Abou and APT Programme Coordinator Yasmine Shams.