24 April 2006 Front Line Press Release
During a recent visit to meet with human rights defenders in Bahrain, the Deputy Director of Front Line welcomed the candidacy of Bahrain for election to the new UN Human Rights Council.
Bahrain is a candidate for one of the 13 seats allocated to the region of Asia on the UN Human Rights Council. The council, which meets for the first time in June, replaces the discredited UN Human Rights Commission
Speaking from Manama, Andrew Anderson said that Bahrain’s candidacy "demonstrates a commitment to international human rights mechanisms and openness to scrutiny of Bahrain's human rights record, which must now also be reflected in measures to ensure the protection of human rights defenders in Bahrain."
Front Line has been concerned by a pattern of attacks against human rights defenders in Bahrain, including the attempted Government closure of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, ill-treatment and torture of human rights defenders and the detention and prosecution of human rights defenders for exercising their legitimate rights. 
