Chapter I The Tenth Anniversary of the Establishment of the National Institution for Human Rights(1) Preface: Driven by the insights of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa - the Ruler of the Country, may God protect him- on the importance of respecting, promoting and protecting human rights in the Kingdom of Bahrain; and complementing His Majesty›s comprehensive and enlightened reform project to advance the Kingdom of Bahrain to make it one of the most prominent outstanding democratic regimes in the region; the Royal Decree No. (48) of 2009 to establish the National Institution for Human Rights was issued, amended by Royal Decree No. (28) of 2012, and subsequently Law No. (26) of 2014 on the establishment of the National Institution for Human Rights was issued, amended by Decree-Law No. (20) of 2016. On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the issuance of the Royal Decree No. (48) of 2009 to establish the National Institution for Human Rights, and regarding the efforts made by the NIHR in the field of promoting and protecting human rights in the Kingdom of Bahrain, it has deemed appropriate that this Seventh Annual Report includes a special chapter dedicated for its human rights achievements and the challenges it encountered during the past ten years by presenting the legal basis of its work, the extent of NIHR’s compliance with the relevant Paris Principles, and its broad mandate in the field of human rights contained in Section One of Chapter I. Section Two of Chapter I demonstrates the role of the NIHR in the field of promoting human rights regarding the advisory opinions it submits to the constitutional authorities, the preparation of its annual, special and parallel reports, its strategies and action plans, interaction with international events and days, publications in the field of human rights, cooperation with the relevant national and regional bodies, and its training and educational activities on human rights. Section Three is dedicated to presenting the role of the NIHR in the area of human rights protection regarding receiving complaints and providing legal aid, preparing and publishing a special complaints procedure manual, monitoring situations and allegations of human rights violations, its efforts in conducting announced and unannounced field visits to any place suspected to be a site of human rights violation, and to showcase the relevant awareness raising initiatives and campaigns. (1) T his chapter of the report is dedicated to presenting the most prominent activities and efforts undertaken by the NIHR during the past ten years. Chapter III of the report describes the NIHR’s efforts and activities in the field of promoting and protecting human rights in 2019; therefore, there may be repetition of some information and data, as a summary of some of the 2019 activities are listed in Chapter I, the Tenth Anniversary, and detailed in Chapter III, the 2019 NIHR’s efforts. It is necessary to note the intended repetition. 13