Bahrain Forum for Human Rights concluded the "International Conference to Support Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain” held in Beirut on 12-13 December 2012, with the presence of elite figures and personalities of freedom and democracy defenders, human rights activists, journalists, civil society activists of twenty different states, higher commissioner for human rights and international rights organizations representatives.

The conference unfolded the Bahraini reality and persistent violations which the peaceful people suffer, as well as the oppression and the legitimate human rights denial in the framework of freedom, democracy and human rights, which contradict with Human Rights Charter and with all values and divine religions.

The conferees discussed several issues related to human rights and democracy and the fact of flagrant violations in Bahrain, and the international ignorance against them. Democracy is called for whenever it is consistent with the interests, and ‘human rights’ is a slogan used as a means of policy, but it is blacked out once violated on Bahraini lands.

The participants also tackled the call of international community for dealing will all issues that caused tensions in Bahrain, and urged the Bahraini government to launch negotiations to solve the crisis and admit the people’s rights to demand freedom, democracy and human rights.

During various roundtables, the conference monitored the absence of the most basic human rights and democracy basics in Bahrain, and sought to shed light upon Bahraini authority violations regarding its non-compliance to Bassiouni report and to its commitments towards UN Human Rights Council.

The continuous oppression, mosques demolition, sentencing doctors, lawyers, teachers and professionals, abusing prisoners and nominal trials for rights activists all indicate the Bahraini tragic and aggravated scene under the policy of repression and collective punishment, through the blockade of villages and stripping off nationalities from activists and opposition figures, as well as denying citizens of the right to peaceful demonstration, which clearly contradicts with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the relevant conventions and charters.

The conference is highly proud of the Bahraini people's demands of freedom, justice and democracy by peaceful means, despite all the sufferings of inhumane violations, which reveals the steadfastness of this people and the deepening of their faith in the cause, as well as their determination in the squares.

Recommendations

1. The Conferees support the legitimate struggle of the Bahraini people to choose their political and social regime.

2. The conference appreciates Manama Document and Principle of Non-Violence Declaration issued by rights and political activists in Bahrain, for being the key to solve the crisis.

3. The conference calls for respecting political, religious and economic rights and freedoms. It stresses the right to peaceful demonstration and assembly and to freedom of expression, as well as to form political associations.

4. The conferees call on the Bahraini authority to end its oppressions and human rights violations, and to stop the policy of blockade, detention, torture, storming homes and demolishing mosques, as well as to stop the arbitrary closure of newspapers, publications and online websites.

5. The conferees slam the stripping off nationalities from citizens by the Bahraini government, while nationalizing the non-eligible on a discriminatory, ethnic and preferential basis.

6. The conference calls upon the Bahraini authority to immediately release all prisoners of conscience of the political and rights activists, especially Nabil Rajab and Abdulhadi Khawaja.

7. The conference calls on the Bahraini government to implement the recommendations of the independent Bahraini fact-finding committee and those of the Human Rights Council.

8. The conference calls on all free mass media to shed light upon the Bahraini people's sufferings, and urges the Bahraini government to allow all journalists and international rights organizations entrance to the country and to ensure the freedom of work for local orgs.

9. The conferees stress the necessity to make fundamental reforms in the Bahraini judiciary system and law enforcement apparatus, along with respecting the freedom of judiciary.

10. The conferees urge member states in the United Nations Human Rights Council to hold a special session that reviews human rights violations in Bahrain, and to work for opening a permanent office of the higher commissioner for human rights in Bahrain to monitor the situation of human rights and freedoms.
 
11. The conferees appeal to the acting regional and international parties to exert pressure over Bahraini government to negotiate with the Opposition in order to establish comprehensive reforms in Bahrain.

12. The conference calls for questioning of those responsible for violations in Bahrain, ensuring the end of their impunity.

The conferees therefore decided the following:

1. Declaring the February 14 as an International Day of Solidarity with the People of Bahrain and their just demands.

2. Creating a temporary international follow-up committee, formed of the conference personalities, specialized in following the implementation of the conference recommendations. The committee is to communicate with world organizations and acting powers in the international community, in order to help the Bahraini people to obtain their humanitarian and legitimate rights.