Bahrain | Ombudsman presents second Annual Report

The Bahrain Ombudsman, the first Independent Ombudsman in the Region, was set up to support the delivery of a commitment to respectful, human rights compliant service delivery by MOI employees, including the police. The Office investigates complaints against employees of the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) and responds also to a great many requests for information and assistance. The Office also has an important role in ensuring that prisoners and detainees are treated in a way that is appropriate and are not subject to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

In his second Annual Report the Ombudsman records that, during the period 1 May 2014 and 30 April 2015, the Office received 908 complaints and requests for assistance. This is an increase of 375% compared with the previous year's total of 242.

Included in the Ombudsman investigations reported outcomes are the fact that 908 of the complaints and requests were received; 19 members of the police were referred to the relevant criminal courts and another 14 were referred to the disciplinary courts.

The Ombudsman reports the efforts that have been made over the last year to develop operational and administrative competence and to further develop investigation capacity. Additional investigators and support staff have been appointed; the Office computerized Complaint Management System (CMS) is now fully operational; serious incident and death in detention investigation methodologies have been further developed and staff have attended an ongoing programme of training and continuous development.

The Ombudsman says that his Office is pleased with the progress made and also that it was a great honour this year to be awarded the Chaillot Prize for the promotion and protection of Human Rights in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Looking forward, the Ombudsman acknowledges that the Office workload is significant for an organisation just entering its third year and that there is still much to do.

For the full press release or the English executive summary of the annual report, please visit the website of the Bahrain Ombudsman.

Source: Office of the Ombudsman, Bahrain