International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights* Preamble The States Parties to the present Covenant, Considering that, in accordance with the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, Recognizing that these rights derive from the inherent dignity of the human person, * Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by United Nations General Assembly resolution 2200A (XXI) of 16 December 1966, and entered into force on 23 March 1976. The Covenant was opened for signature at New York on 19 December 1966. States parties until January 2013: 167. - Law No. (56) of 2006 approving the accession of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on 16 August 2006 (published in the Official Gazette - No. 2752 dated August 16 2006). - Kingdom of Bahrain joined officially the covenant on 20 September 2006, and it entered into force on 20 December 2006 (article 49 paragraph 2). - The Human Rights Committee (HRC) monitors implementation of the International Covenant by states parties. The HRC was established under Article 28 of the ICCPR. - The committee consists of 18 independent experts, and held three sessions per year (March in New York, July and November in Geneva). The first meeting was held in 1977. In 2010 the committee celebrated its 100 session. - For more information, visit HRC website: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrc/index.htm 3