Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa led Bahrain’s delegation to the 42nd GCC Interior Ministers’ Meeting held in Kuwait. The Interior Minister delivered Bahrain’s speech at the meeting.
Gen Shaikh Rashid praised the wise reformist approach of His Majesty King Hamad that embodies the values of justice, equity, and the preservation of human dignity, along with a deep belief in empowering every individual to contribute to building society.
He said the Penalties and Alternative Measures Law stems from the King’s vision and reflects a qualitative shift in the application of criminal justice, moving from a concept of deterrence to rehabilitation and reintegration. This law represents a humane legal framework designed to make punishment more beneficial to society and less harmful to the convicted individuals and their families. Its profound philosophy is based on the values of justice, mercy, and social responsibility.
Based on this noble royal vision, His Majesty endorsed the Penalties and Alternative Measures Law in 2017, establishing a pioneering legal and humane system that reflects a balance between protecting society and reforming the individual.
The wise government, led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, has been keen to implement this project in an institutional spirit, which has yielded positive results that included enhanced community security, reduced recidivism rates, and the opening of new horizons for beneficiaries to positively reintegrate into the national development process.
The minister presented guidelines for implementing the alternative sentencing project, including open prisons, inspired by Bahrain’s experience in this field.
He also said that Bahrain was looking forward to hosting the next meeting of the Interior Ministers.
During the meeting, several security topics were discussed that contribute to strengthening joint Gulf security co-operation.
The Interior Ministers were briefed on the recommendations of the specialised security committees and important development initiatives and projects.
These included discussions on updates to the Gulf Strategy for Combating Drugs and the Gulf Security Strategy for Combating Money Laundering, as well as the latest developments in traffic systems and the electronic exchange of fingerprints and information for deportees. The establishment of a unified Gulf rescue team was also discussed.
The ministers attending the meeting decided to refer the issue of the unified Gulf tourist visa to the Foreign Ministers for submission to the meeting of GCC leaders.
They also approved holding the next joint tactical exercise for the security agencies of the GCC states and convening the Gulf Security Conference under the auspices of the GCC general secretariat.
This conference aims to showcase Gulf security capabilities in the smart transformation, review successful international experiences in digital security, and launch awareness initiatives based on artificial intelligence.
During the meeting, Bahrain was honoured for the Maan (Together) Centre for Research and Training team winning first place in the Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Award for Security Research 2024 at the GCC level.
The research focused on analysing the social, psychological, and behavioural effects resulting from the uncontrolled use of modern social media platforms and the related repercussions on Gulf societal security.
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