Second Annual Report of the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) 2014 - Kingdom of Bahrain RIGHT TO LIBERTY AND SECURITY OF PERSON • Conducting effective and intensive training and awareness programs for public prosecution and employees of the executive agency of the public prosecution in order to promote the culture of human rights, respect for the rights and guarantees of the accused, and introduce alternative means for the measures imposing restrictions on freedom. • Immediate cessation of the individual actions of law enforcement agencies associated with arrest and search procedures that constitute human rights violations. • The need to supplement the efforts of the Ministry of Interior in the field of protection of all persons whose freedom is restricted, through the provision of the necessary audio and video recording equipment and security cameras in all police departments and its affiliated centers, and reform, rehabilitation, and custody centers. • The need to overcome all obstacles with regard to limiting the freedom of movement across borders or official ports, and not preventing anyone from traveling without legal justification, and the importance of informing the person concerned of any decision banning him from travel well in advance. • Immediate cessation of illegal or unjustified actions at security checkpoints and enabling local residents to have access to their homes. • Considering and allowing the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the Human Rights Council to visit the Kingdom. • Urging the Government to accede to the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which is related to the government’s recognition of the competence of the Human Rights Committee to receive individual complaints. • Urging the Government to accede to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, adopted by the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly No. (61/177) issued on December 20, 2006, and amending the relevant national legislation so as to ensure the activation and implementation of the provisions of this Convention. RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL • Providing courts with qualified personnel in line with the progressively increasing number of cases, and developing specialized qualification programs to increase the efficiency of the judicial authority personnel and the level of their performance. • Dedicating further attention to intensive and effective training for judges and public prosecutors on issues related to human rights, particularly fair trial guarantees. • Considering and allowing the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers of the Council of Human Rights to visit the Kingdom. RIGHT TO CITIZENSHIP • Urging the Government to lift its reservations as to Article 9 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, so that the Bahraini woman has equal rights with men with respect to the nationality of her children, since this does not conflict with the Islamic principles and provisions. • Avoiding the forfeiture of Bahraini citizenship, except in specific and exceptional situations prescribed by the law. Forfeiture should be based on final court judgments and any person whose nationality has been forfeited should not be declared as stateless in order to avoid statelessness in the community, which poses serious risks to stability. 19