3. The NIHR anticipates that these reports will be the tools to enhance the situation of human rights in the Kingdom of Bahrain, in a manner consistent with the Kingdom’s obligations arising from regional or international human rights instruments, or those commitments pertaining to the Universal Periodic Review by the Working Group of the Human Rights Council, to reach best practices in the enjoyment of various general rights and freedoms, and perceive human rights as a way of life. B. Special Reports: 4. The NIHR issued a fact-finding report on allegations pertaining to subjecting a number of convicted persons in the case known as (1/terrorism/2017) to the crimes of “torture” and “enforced disappearance”. This report was produced under the broad mandate granted to the NIHR by its Establishment Law and the constructive cooperation of the military jurisdiction in providing the NIHR with copies of the records and related reports. At the end of its report, the NIHR concluded that torture and enforced disappearance of those convicted in the case was not established in the manner set out by the relevant international instruments. 5. The NIHR, for the first time since its establishment, and under its broad mandate as an independent body, observed the 2018 parliamentary and municipal elections in the Kingdom of Bahrain, starting from calling for the elections, commencement of election procedures, until the final announcement of the winning members and contesting the final results(5). 6. The members of NIHR’s Council of Commissioners and the General Secretariat staff were deployed to (14) polling and counting public committees and (40) polling and counting sub-committees, to monitor the electoral process to ensure the integrity, fairness, proper implementation, and smooth running of the elections, and to identify the obstacles that may hinder the conduct of the electoral process. 7. The report on Observing the Parliamentary and Municipal Elections of 2018 concluded with a number of recommendations, namely: • C  lassify the referendum and elections crimes mentioned in Article (30) of Decree-Law No. (14) of 2002 on the Exercise of Political Rights as urgent; and establish a competent and temporary court to consider and adjudicate these crimes. • Issue a new law on organizing media and electoral propaganda for the elections of the members of the Council of Representatives and the municipal councils, to include all the issues related to the organization of such propaganda, allocated funds, means of exercising it, and the related prohibitions. In addition, the new law must include effective and deterrent penalties that prevent the violation of its provisions, provided that the said law provides for provisions that regulate the issue of campaign funding and spending, in particular, provisions that set maximum limits to spending and financial expenditures on electoral campaigns. (5) A special chapter was devoted to the NIHR’s observations for the parliamentary and municipal elections in the Sixth Annual Report of 2018. In addition, the notes were also printed in a separate booklet. To view the Report, see the NIHR’s website www.nihr.org.bh 25