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Youth society fights for the rights of prisoners
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 (Women Gateway)
A youth society has started a campaign to stop a ban on those with criminal record from voting for 2010 election.
Bahrain Dialogue Society (Howar) will push for the amendment of the political rights law to stop the ban on Bahrainis who served jail terms of more than six months.
The campaign comes as part of the society’s support of other countries that place voting boxes at their prisons and detention centers to not sideline any citizen.
“Every citizen should enjoy equal rights to vote. Those arrested will go out one day to follow rules and regulations that passed by lawmakers so they to choose their representatives,” Vice President of Howar, Rashid Al Ghayeb, said in a statement.
According to the law, Bahrainis who are sentenced for more than six months in jail are forbidden from voting and contesting for the parliamentary election for ten years from the dates of the punishments. Besides the rights of former prisoners, the society would call to lower the voting age by one year making 19 as the official age to cast their ballots.
“Several youth who are 18 have participated in university elections and have knowledge about the democratic process. Our society is pushing for all youth who are 19 to be eligible for voting for the 2010 elections. Al Ghayeb said.
He said if their proposal is implemented it would witness youths flocking at the polling booths to vote and choose the right candidate. The society will now carry out a study and identify the young population in the island. Several youth societies in the country are also planning to form a lobby group to reduce the voting age for the elections next year. |
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