BackThe Ombudsman is an administratively and financially independent institution, established in the Ministry of Interior, in order to ensure compliance with professional standards of policing set forth in the Code of Conduct for the Police, as well as in the administrative regulations governing the performance of civil servants. It operates within a general framework that includes respect for human rights and the consolidation of justice, the rule of law and the public confidence, in line with Recommendation 1717 and Recommendation 1722 Paragraph (d) in the report by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI).
Any citizen, expatriate, or visitor may file a complaint to the Directorate of Internal Investigations in the Ministry of Interior or the Ombudsman if they feel that they have been the victim of misconduct in any form by a Ministry of the Interior employee and if they have been negatively affected in any form of loss, damage or exposure to risk by the abuse. Complaints may also be filed by direct witnesses, an agent or by a member a civil society organization on behalf of those affected upon their written consent.
The Ombudsman investigates the complaints in cases of death, physical injury or serious ill-treatment that occurred during or after the exercise by an employee of the Ministry of Interior during or as a result of the responsibilities of his or her work as well as any misconduct by any of the employees of the Ministry of Interior. The Ombudsman also informs the competent authority in the Ministry of Interior to take disciplinary action against violators as well as the public prosecutor in cases that constitute criminal offenses. The Ombudsman updates both the complainant and the defendant about the initiatives and measures taken and the findings of the investigations.
It is within the competence of the Ombudsman to visit prisons, juvenile care centres, and detention centres to ascertain the legality of the procedures, and in order to make sure that inmates, prisoners and detainees are not subjected to torture or inhuman or derogatory treatment. In all cases, the Ombudsman is informed without delay about the cases of death that occur in prisons, juvenile care centres and detention centres for appropriate action. Full confidentiality is guaranteed by law with regard to all investigations.
The Ombudsman and the Directorate of Internal Investigations in the Ministry of Interior participate in cases of reconciliation and civil settlement as well. However, their role is confined to conveying a non-binding opinion or recommendation to the parties involved.
The Ombudsman for the Ministry of Interior was granted membership after the mid-term meeting of the IOI Board of Directors in April 2013. Following substantial amendments to the legal foundations, the Secretary General and the Executive Committee recommended the Board of Directors to consider the Ombudsman for the Ministry of Interior as a member with Voting rights. At its annual meeting in September 2013 in New York the Board acknowledged that the Ombudsman for the Ministry of Interior now fulfils the IOI criteria for Voting membership as set out in Article 6 (2) of the IOI By-laws and decided to grant Voting membership to the Ombudsman for the Ministry of Interior.
