Introduction Since the King of Bahrain, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, ascended to throne in 1999, the Kingdom of Bahrain experienced major changes towards fostering democracy, entrenching the foundations of the state of law, and building an integrated legislative and legal system, actual practices and public institutions to promote human rights. These changes constitute fundamental transformations aimed at promoting human rights and public freedoms and ensure people enjoyment of these rights. The fourth annual report of the National Institution for Human Rights (2016) is released pursuant to Article 21 of Law No. 26 of 2014 on the Establishment of the National Institution for Human Rights, amended by Decree-Law No. 20 of 2016, which provides that: “The Board of Commissioners shall prepare an annual report on NIHR efforts, activities, and other works, which shall include a section on the progress of the human rights condition in the Kingdom, and any recommendations and proposals within its mandate. The Board of Commissioners shall determine performance obstacles and any approved solutions to avoid such obstacles. The Board of Commissioners shall present its report to the King, the Council of Ministers, the House of Representatives, and Shura Council, and shall present in parallel its report to the public opinion”. This report outlines the condition of human rights in the Kingdom, with a review of NIHR efforts in the promotion and protection of human rights, taking into account the provisions of the Constitution and the relevant international instruments and standards of human rights. The report consists of four chapters preceded by an introduction. Chapter I tackles the amendments to a number of the articles of Law No. 26 of 2014 on the Establishment of the National Institution for Human Rights, pursuant to Decree-Law No. 20 of 2016. Chapter II includes advisory opinions presented by NIHR to the legislative authority, the Council of Ministers (the executive authority) and the Supreme Judicial Council (the judicial authority). Chapter III is dedicated to the review of NIHR role in the promotion and protection of human rights. Chapter IV is dedicated to indicating a number of key issues that are directly related to the reality of human rights. It outlines the human rights situation in the Kingdom, the role of the Court of Cassation in fair trial guarantees, the rights of domestic and foreign workers, developing reform and rehabilitation centers through alternative sanctions that do not deprive liberty, in addition to the benefits enjoyed by people with disabilities, and the obstacles they face, considering that they are the group that has priority to receive community care. Finally, NIHR hopes that this report, as well as the preceding reports, will serve as a tool for promoting the human rights reality in the Kingdom, in line with Bahrain obligations arising from its ratification of or accession to human rights international instruments, or the submission of the treaty reports to the Human Rights Council. The ultimate objective of this report is to achieve the best practices as to enjoying the various rights and public freedoms. 7