Rights groups and activists have described as a "joke" the Bahraini government's decision to lobby for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council's advisory committee.
On Wednesday, the Guardian revealed that the Al-Khalifa government was lobbying for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council's advisory committee when elections are held in September. The leaked documents, which were seen by the Guardian, present Saeed Mohammed al-Faihani as a possible candidate for the position on the UNHRC's advisory committee. In a letter sent to 57 member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, seeking their support, al-Faihani is described as an "entirely qualified" nominee.
Raza Kazim of the London-based Islamic Human Rights Commission urged other countries to block the bid because of Bahrain's "appalling human rights record".
On Twitter activists, journalists and bloggers have expressed their outrage.
https://twitter.com/NoonArabia/status/220471525420187648
https://twitter.com/MsIntervention/status/220470108655595521
https://twitter.com/josephwillits/status/220469344298205184
https://twitter.com/Nervana_1/status/220468209256636416
https://twitter.com/ihrc/status/220461134505967619
"The move is seen as an attempt to clean up Bahrain's image and also to give it influence in human rights discussions at the UN," the Guardian says.
The Bahraini government have been singled out several times over the past year by rights organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch for human rights violations.
For more than 17 months, the Bahraini regime has been cracking down on demonstrators who have been protesting for democratic reforms. Police forces have been accused of using excessive force, tear gas and sometimes torture against protesters.
The Shi'ite community, which constitutes the majority of the population in Bahrain, say they feel marginalized economically and politically by the Sunni ruling family who has been in power in the Gulf country for more than two centuries.
Activists claim that more than 80 people have died since February 2011. According to Amnesty International, 4,000 people were dismissed from their jobs for taking part in anti-government protests and hundreds of protesters are still in prison after being detained, tried unfairly by military courts, and receiving harsh prison sentences.
