21 Mar 2012 DT
Sir Jeffrey Jowell QC, Emeritus Professor of Public Law at University College London, called the implementation of the BICI report a bold step and one taken in the right direction.
He along with Sir Daniel Bethlehem KCMG QC, former principal Legal Adviser to the UK Foreign Office, assisted Bahrain in pushing through the recommendations on human rights featured in the final BICI report.
Sir Jeffrey, in a television interview, said that Bahrain is moving in the right direction by ensuring that the laws and conventions it has accepted are followed in the spirit and not just adhering to the letter.
Giving examples of the areas where the government has shown its grit to stay on track, he mentioned the appointment of the ombudsman and the inspector general as independent institutions.
The independence of decision-making given to the inspectors general in the National Security Agency and the ombudsman is made amply clear by the decrees that go with the appointments.
If the government could remove them because their decision did not match that of the head of the Ministry of Interior then it would not be independent.
Now their decisions are totally independent and they cannot be removed from office under any circumstance by the ministries.
Now, it is possible for people to have their grievances heard and redressed in a way that is lawful, rational and independent.
While many other countries are going backward, away from democratic norms that have brought them to power, Bahrain has boldly set up a committee to look into the painful events of the past.
He praised the BICI report, which according to him was carefully drafted and detailed with many recommendations. The response to that report was impressive with His Majesty the King immediately accepting it completely and ensuring its implementation in totality.
With this, Bahrain compares with many other nations in its laws.
With Bahrain ready to implement the BICI report in its broad sense the nation has shown a willingness to move forward and compare favourably with countries and societies ready to participate in the democratic set up.
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National Commission