Bahrain responds to US delegation

Manama, June 15 (BNA): Kingdom of Bahrain Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Ambassador Yusuf Abdulkarim, called on the United States of America to give the fight against hate crimes based on race, religion and belief, and respect for minority rights, the utmost importance for the protection and promotion of human rights in the United States. He expressed his hope that more positive measures are taken to ensure cultural diversity and equality of rights there. This was in response to a statement delivered by the US delegation as part of the second agenda point in the 29th session of the Human Rights Council. Further to the issues raised in the statement of the US delegation, which, the Permanent Representative noted that the trials came as a result of the actions of some individuals criminalized under the law and has nothing to do with practices guaranteed constitutionally of fundamental freedoms, also rejecting the question on the efficiency of the judiciary in deciding on pending cases in front of it and its independence. In response to the statement of the United States, which urged Bahrain to reach an agreement on cooperation with the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Permanent Representative stressed that the technical cooperation project with UNHCR is still under study, and that the Kingdom of Bahrain is keen to reach a mutually satisfactory framework. (MOFA)