8.17 There are more than two hundred and twenty-three associations registered in accordance with the provisions of Decree Law No. (21) of 1989 issuing the Law of Associations, Social and Cultural Clubs, Special Committees Working in the Field of Youth and Sports, and Private Institutions and its amendments; and about twenty political associations operating under the umbrella of Law No. (26) of 2005 Concerning Political Associations. 8.18 The NIHR, pursuant to its mandates included in the provisions of its Establishment Law, has played an active role in the field of human rights protection. This was reflected in attending a number of trial sessions that resonated among the public, including attending the administrative proceedings against the Islamic Wefaq Society before the High Civil Court in an administrative district, in which the court ordered on 17 July 2016, to dissolve the association and liquidate its funds and return its proceeds to the State treasury, up until the Court of Cassation upheld this ruling on 19 February 2018. 8.19 The NIHR also continued to attend the administrative proceedings against the National Democratic Action Society (Wa'ad) before the High Civil Court in an administrative district, in which the court ordered on 31 May 2017, to dissolve the association and liquidate its funds and return its proceeds to the State treasury. The NIHR was keen to attend the hearings of the Supreme Court of Appeal, which upheld the ruling of the High Administrative Court in its session held on 26 October 2017. Parallel Report by the National Institution for Human Rights of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Human Rights Committee © 2018 51