UN experts call for release of top Bahraini campaigners
UN human rights experts say Bahrain’s detention of prominent opposition figures and leading pro-democracy campaigners is unlawful and violates their right to freedom of expression.
UN human rights experts say Bahrain’s detention of prominent opposition figures and leading pro-democracy campaigners is unlawful and violates their right to freedom of expression.
In a formal opinion posted overnight, the experts at the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said that provisions of Bahrain’s penal code were “so vague and overly broad” that people were punished for merely exercising their rights under international law.
The UN panel of five independent experts said the activists should be released immediately and compensated.
The opinions of the panel are based on national obligations under international human rights law that they have ratified and are thus legally-binding in nature.
