Torture in Bahrain
Encyclopedia
Torture in Bahrain refers to the violation of Bahrain
’s obligations as a state party to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Convention against Torture) and other international treaties and disregard for the prohibition of torture enshrined in Bahraini law.
Torture
was routine practice in Bahrain
between 1975 and 1999, during the period when the State Security Act 1974 was in force. In 1999, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa acceded to the throne and declared an era of national reconciliation. The State Security Act was repealed in 2001 but despite efforts to promote respect for the rule of law, there have been continuing allegations of torture and ill-treatment, against opposition activists and human rights defenders in particular. These have increased since April 2011 as the authorities have sought to bring pro-democracy reform protests under control.
Individuals have been tortured after being detained at demonstrations and public gatherings. For example on 17 December 2007 on Martyrs’ Day, commemorating past victims of torture, the Special Security Forces
began a wave of arrests targeting more than 60 persons, among them over ten activists. During February 2009, several key human rights defenders in Bahrain were arbitrarily arrested and detained including Abbas Abdul Aziz Al-Umran, Sayed Sharaf Ahmed, Ali Hassan Salman, and Jaafar Kadhim Ebrahim. Some of those arrested alleged that they had been prevented from sleeping, tied up for long periods and denied medical attention. Others said that they had been sexually assaulted whilst in detention.
The issue of immunity for past violations has also been a continuing concern. In 2001, the King pardoned all those involved in the political violence of the 1990s, freeing hundreds of prisoners. In 2002 Royal Decree 56 established the clarification that amnesty was also granted to all state security officers who may have committed human rights abuses prior to 2001. On this basis the Bahrain Public prosecutor has refused to accept any complaints of torture lodged against security officials and no individuals have been charged or tried by the state, despite pleas by international human rights groups. Most of the officers concerned have remained in post and some promoted to senior government positions
In 2005 the United Nations Committee against Torture, expressing concern over the failure to investigate allegations and a pattern of impunity for torturers, referred specifically to the Decree 56 amnesty. Nevertheless the Decree has not been amended.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called for urgent and independent investigation into allegations of torture since the end of 2007. Many national and international human rights organisations, in particular the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, have been active in reporting allegations of torture during the period of repression that has followed mass arrests in April 2011.
The royally appointed prime minister, Shaikh Khalifah ibn Sulman al-Khalifah (uncle of the present King), head of government throughout the period when torture has been alleged to have taken place, continues in office to the present day. Among individuals alleged to have committed, or overseen, torture are: Ian Henderson
, Adel Flaifel
, Khalid Al Wazzan, Abdulla Al Dowsari Sheikh Abdulaziz Ateyatallah Al-Khalifa, Alistair Bain McNutt.
Torture appears to have been most prevalent during the 1990s Uprising, between 1994 and 1997 when demands for the return of the liberal Constitution of 1973
and Parliamentary were made in two public petitions to the Emir. Individuals associated with the petitions were deemed to be acting against the regime and detained under the State Security Laws, subjected to torture and in some cases forced into exile. See also: History of Bahrain
.
Bahrain’s track record of gross violations of human rights and torture in particular has been raised on numerous occasions in various UN fora. Bahrain was one of the countries subjected to the UNHCHR 1503 procedure and has been the subject of a resolution by the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities and urgent appeals from the Special Rapporteur on Torture and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
. The Special Rapporteur summed up the practice of torture during this period in his 1997 report to the UN Human Rights Commission:
visited Bahrain for the first time. Although it confirmed the condemnatory decisions and opinions it had previously made in relation to the state security laws with further investigations, it congratulated Bahrain on “the decisive scale and scope of the reforms that have been undertaken and the accompanying acts of clemency” following the repeal of the State Security laws and the release of political prisoners. It viewed the repeal of the state security laws as amounting to “a major political shift in favour of human rights”. It also noted that “Not all the instruments currently in force are flawed, the problem lies rather in their practical application”. Much depended on the willingness of the authorities to pursue the reform process and ensure that existing safeguards were effectively implemented in practice.
Nevertheless, no alleged perpetrator has been tried for torture or ill treatment despite the practice of torture in Bahrain during the 1980s and 1990s being well documented. In one case in 2001 an individual who suffered torture while in police custody was reported to have been personally compensated by the Emir. In November 2002, 8 torture victims lodged complaints relating to their treatment with the Directorate of Public Prosecutions requesting effective investigation and the prosecution of one of the alleged perpetrators, Adel Felaifel, who was already being investigated on relation to fraud and embezzlement charges. There have been numerous demonstrations and calls from the public for such a prosecution to be initiated. Nevertheless no formal investigation of these cases has been reported and calls for the investigation and prosecution of such crimes has been met with stiff opposition from the Government.
Decree 56 of 2002, which purports to grant a blanket amnesty for any case (civil or criminal) lodged by persons accused of or convicted of “offences that endangered or pose a threat to state/national security” which fell within the jurisdiction of the State Security Court, effectively extends Decree 10/2001, the general amnesty of February 2001, to cover human rights violations committed by government and security officials as well as offences by political opponents of the government. It appears to be in direct contravention of the provision of Article 89 of the Penal Code that only allows amnesty laws which do “not affect third party rights,” and contrary to the prohibition of torture by the National Charter, which provides that:
Despite petitions to the King to repeal Decree No. 56, the Decree remains in force.
The Committee recommended, inter alia, that Bahrain:
During opposition street protests in Shi'a neighbourhoods and villages around Manama in December 2007 a protestor was allegedly asphyxiated by tear gas and confrontations, provoking further confrontations with security forces. Following an incident in the village of Jidhafs Bahraini human rights activists reported claims by detainees of severe beatings, electric shock, prolonged suspension in painful positions and other forms of abuse amounting to torture or other illegal treatment. These claims were officially denied.
Detainees arrested in March and April 2008 following clashes in and around the village of Karzakan that had resulted in the death of a National Security Agency
(NSA) officer in disputed circumstances also alleged torture and ill-treatment. Detainees arrested in December 2008 who were alleged by the authorities to have been trained in the use of explosives and sabotage techniques or to have been recruited by the opposition Haq Movement for Liberty and Democracy to encourage violent unrest also complained of being subjected to torture and ill-treatment. When they were brought to court medical examinations of a number of detainees found evidence of injuries consistent with the detainees’ allegations.
In a letter to Bahrain's Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin ‘Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, Amnesty International (AI) called for an urgent and independent investigation into allegations that soon after their arrest in December 2008 13 individuals held incommunicado at the headquarters of the National Security Apparatus in Manama were tortured with electric shocks and beatings and by being suspended by the wrists for long periods. The detainees were reported to have been transferred to the "Dry Dock" Prison (the Ministry of Interior’s Short-Term Detention Unit) only after they had made “confessions”. AI called for any officials found responsible for torture or other serious abuses to be brought to justice.
On 11 April 2009, an informal royal "pardon" was granted to 178 detainees whose sentences or trials were suspended. HRW interviewed a number of the released detainees about their treatment in detention and under interrogation (some refused to speak to HRW - human rights and opposition activists claimed that former detainees had been warned against speaking to investigators or the media). Most claimed to have been subjected to torture and ill-treatment at the Ministry of Interior’s General Directorate of Criminal Investigation (CID) headquarters in Adliya, in Manama, at the Ministry of Interior’s "Dry Dock" Short-Term Detention Unit and possibly at the offices of the NSA.
The Ministry of the Interior
and the National Security Agency
both report to the Supreme Defense Council, headed by the prime minister and all of whose members are members of the royal family.
In a number of cases prosecutors had failed to record complaints, order medical examinations or investigate allegations, and sometimes returned detainees to the security officers allegedly responsible for the ill-treatment.
The Ministry of the Interior and the Public Prosecution Office denied that torture had been used and asserted that the claims had been fabricated. Human Rights Watch found the accounts credible and the medical reports of government doctors and court documents corroborated the allegations. (HRW noted that corroboration of torture and ill-treatment by government doctors marked a major improvement from the pre-1999 era of routine torture when few examinations were carried out and doctors were intimidated to prevent them corroborating abuse.)
HRW wrote to the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior asking detailed questions about government policies concerning torture and ill-treatment but received no response. HRW also called on the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, countries with significant security links to Bahrain, to urge the government of Bahrain to take immediate and measurable steps to end the use of torture by its security forces. As France and the United Kingdom provide the NSA and the Ministry of Interior, respectively, with training and assistance they "risk being implicated in prohibited practices and violating their own legal obligations if they cooperate with law enforcement forces they know or should know are employing torture or other ill-treatment".
Torture claims during 2011 Bahraini Uprising
In the period following the 2011 uprising numerous allegations of government-sponsored torture were reported in the media by human rights groups. The government has also alleged that protestors abducted and tortured members of the security forces, and there is evidence that Asian migrant workers were also subjected to attacks by groups of protestors. The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry
is tasked with investigating all allegations of torture and is due to report its findings by the end of October 2011.
Torture claims have been made by:
Nabeel Rajab
(president of BCHR
)
Los Angeles Times
ABC News
The Independent
Human Rights First
Financial Times
Front Line
Amnesty International
Socialist Worker Online
The Guardian
Daily Mail
The Christian Science Monitor
CNN
BBC News
World Socialist website
Nicholas Kristof (columnist for The New York Times)
Kristen Chick (Reporter for The Christian Science Monitor)
and Human Rights Watch
.
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
’s obligations as a state party to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Convention against Torture) and other international treaties and disregard for the prohibition of torture enshrined in Bahraini law.
Torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
was routine practice in Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
between 1975 and 1999, during the period when the State Security Act 1974 was in force. In 1999, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa acceded to the throne and declared an era of national reconciliation. The State Security Act was repealed in 2001 but despite efforts to promote respect for the rule of law, there have been continuing allegations of torture and ill-treatment, against opposition activists and human rights defenders in particular. These have increased since April 2011 as the authorities have sought to bring pro-democracy reform protests under control.
Individuals have been tortured after being detained at demonstrations and public gatherings. For example on 17 December 2007 on Martyrs’ Day, commemorating past victims of torture, the Special Security Forces
Special Security Force Command
The Special Security Force Command is a paramilitary law enforcement body in Bahrain under the command of the National Security Agency, associated with the Ministry of the Interior...
began a wave of arrests targeting more than 60 persons, among them over ten activists. During February 2009, several key human rights defenders in Bahrain were arbitrarily arrested and detained including Abbas Abdul Aziz Al-Umran, Sayed Sharaf Ahmed, Ali Hassan Salman, and Jaafar Kadhim Ebrahim. Some of those arrested alleged that they had been prevented from sleeping, tied up for long periods and denied medical attention. Others said that they had been sexually assaulted whilst in detention.
The issue of immunity for past violations has also been a continuing concern. In 2001, the King pardoned all those involved in the political violence of the 1990s, freeing hundreds of prisoners. In 2002 Royal Decree 56 established the clarification that amnesty was also granted to all state security officers who may have committed human rights abuses prior to 2001. On this basis the Bahrain Public prosecutor has refused to accept any complaints of torture lodged against security officials and no individuals have been charged or tried by the state, despite pleas by international human rights groups. Most of the officers concerned have remained in post and some promoted to senior government positions
In 2005 the United Nations Committee against Torture, expressing concern over the failure to investigate allegations and a pattern of impunity for torturers, referred specifically to the Decree 56 amnesty. Nevertheless the Decree has not been amended.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called for urgent and independent investigation into allegations of torture since the end of 2007. Many national and international human rights organisations, in particular the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, have been active in reporting allegations of torture during the period of repression that has followed mass arrests in April 2011.
The royally appointed prime minister, Shaikh Khalifah ibn Sulman al-Khalifah (uncle of the present King), head of government throughout the period when torture has been alleged to have taken place, continues in office to the present day. Among individuals alleged to have committed, or overseen, torture are: Ian Henderson
Ian Henderson (Britain)
Ian Henderson is a British citizen known for his alleged use of torture to put down the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya, and later the 1990s Uprising in Bahrain as an employee of the Bahrain government...
, Adel Flaifel
Adel Flaifel
Colonel Adel Jassim Flaifel is a former colonel in the State Security and Intelligence Service of Bahrain. He is accused of committing, or overseeing, acts of physical and psychological torture on Bahraini citizens from 1980s until 1997...
, Khalid Al Wazzan, Abdulla Al Dowsari Sheikh Abdulaziz Ateyatallah Al-Khalifa, Alistair Bain McNutt.
The State Security Act era
Torture was particularly endemic in Bahrain between 1974 and 1999, when the State Security Act 1974 was in force prior to the accession of King Hamad. The State Security Act, formally scrapped in 2001, contained measures permitting the government to arrest and imprison individuals without trial for up to three years for crimes relating to state security. Other measures associated with the 1974 Act such as the establishment of State Security Courts) added to the conditions conducive to the practice of torture.Torture appears to have been most prevalent during the 1990s Uprising, between 1994 and 1997 when demands for the return of the liberal Constitution of 1973
Constitution of Bahrain
Bahrain has had two constitutions in its modern history. The first one was promulgated in 1973, and the second one in 2002.-Constitution of 1973:* Full text of the 1973 constitution...
and Parliamentary were made in two public petitions to the Emir. Individuals associated with the petitions were deemed to be acting against the regime and detained under the State Security Laws, subjected to torture and in some cases forced into exile. See also: History of Bahrain
History of Bahrain
Bahrain is a island country in the Persian Gulf. Although Bahrain became an independent country in 1971, the history of these islands starts from ancient times...
.
Bahrain’s track record of gross violations of human rights and torture in particular has been raised on numerous occasions in various UN fora. Bahrain was one of the countries subjected to the UNHCHR 1503 procedure and has been the subject of a resolution by the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities and urgent appeals from the Special Rapporteur on Torture and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention is a UN-mandated body of independent human rights experts that investigates cases of arbitrary arrest and detention that may be in violation of international human rights law....
. The Special Rapporteur summed up the practice of torture during this period in his 1997 report to the UN Human Rights Commission:
“most persons arrested for political reasons in Bahrain were held incommunicado, a condition of detention conducive to torture. The Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) were alleged frequently to conduct interrogation of such detainees under torture. The practice of torture by these agencies was said to be undertaken with impunity, with no known cases of officials having been prosecuted for acts of torture or other ill-treatment. In cases heard before the State Security Court, defendants were reportedly convicted solely on the basis of uncorroborated confessions made to political or security officials or on the testimony of such officials that confessions had been made. Although defendants often alleged that their "confessions" had been extracted under torture, impartial investigations of such claims were reportedly never ordered by the court. In addition, medical examinations of defendants were rarely ordered by the court, unless the defendant displayed obvious signs of injury. Such outward displays of injury were said to be uncommon, since torture victims were usually brought to trial well after their injuries had healed.
In addition to its use as a means to extract a "confession", torture was also reportedly administered to force detainees to sign statements pledging to renounce their political affiliation, to desist from future anti-government activity, to coerce the victim into reporting on the activities of others, to inflict punishment and to instil fear in political opponents. The methods of torture reported include: falaqa (beatings on the soles of the feet); severe beatings, sometimes with hose-pipes; suspension of the limbs in contorted positions accompanied by blows to the body; enforced prolonged standing; sleep deprivation; preventing victims from relieving themselves; immersion in water to the point of near drowning; burnings with cigarettes; piercing the skin with a drill; sexual assault, including the insertion of objects into the penis or anus; threats of execution or of harm to family members; and placing detainees suffering from sickle cell anaemia (said to be prevalent in the country) in air-conditioned rooms in the winter, which can lead to injury to internal organs.”
A new ruler and the repeal of the State Security Law
After the Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa succeeded his father Sheikh Isa Bin Sulman Al Khalifa in 1999, the use of torture appeared to decline dramatically. Only isolated incidents were reported and conditions of detention improved. This was attributed to the introduction of some crucial reforms. In October 2001, the Working Group on Arbitrary DetentionWorking Group on Arbitrary Detention
The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention is a UN-mandated body of independent human rights experts that investigates cases of arbitrary arrest and detention that may be in violation of international human rights law....
visited Bahrain for the first time. Although it confirmed the condemnatory decisions and opinions it had previously made in relation to the state security laws with further investigations, it congratulated Bahrain on “the decisive scale and scope of the reforms that have been undertaken and the accompanying acts of clemency” following the repeal of the State Security laws and the release of political prisoners. It viewed the repeal of the state security laws as amounting to “a major political shift in favour of human rights”. It also noted that “Not all the instruments currently in force are flawed, the problem lies rather in their practical application”. Much depended on the willingness of the authorities to pursue the reform process and ensure that existing safeguards were effectively implemented in practice.
The "Amnesty Decree", Decree 56 of 2002
The state's obligation to provide an effective remedy and the need for torture survivors to receive compensation and other forms of reparation was stressed by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. The views of civil society have also emphasised the need for effective and enforceable remedies for torture.Nevertheless, no alleged perpetrator has been tried for torture or ill treatment despite the practice of torture in Bahrain during the 1980s and 1990s being well documented. In one case in 2001 an individual who suffered torture while in police custody was reported to have been personally compensated by the Emir. In November 2002, 8 torture victims lodged complaints relating to their treatment with the Directorate of Public Prosecutions requesting effective investigation and the prosecution of one of the alleged perpetrators, Adel Felaifel, who was already being investigated on relation to fraud and embezzlement charges. There have been numerous demonstrations and calls from the public for such a prosecution to be initiated. Nevertheless no formal investigation of these cases has been reported and calls for the investigation and prosecution of such crimes has been met with stiff opposition from the Government.
Decree 56 of 2002, which purports to grant a blanket amnesty for any case (civil or criminal) lodged by persons accused of or convicted of “offences that endangered or pose a threat to state/national security” which fell within the jurisdiction of the State Security Court, effectively extends Decree 10/2001, the general amnesty of February 2001, to cover human rights violations committed by government and security officials as well as offences by political opponents of the government. It appears to be in direct contravention of the provision of Article 89 of the Penal Code that only allows amnesty laws which do “not affect third party rights,” and contrary to the prohibition of torture by the National Charter, which provides that:
“No person shall in any way be subjected to any kind of physical or moral torture, inhumane, humiliating indignant treatment… Law ensures punishment of those who commit an offence of torture, a physically or psychologically harmful act”.
Despite petitions to the King to repeal Decree No. 56, the Decree remains in force.
The UN Committee against Torture's observations
At its 34th session in 2005, the UN Committee against Torture noted the failure of Bahrain to investigate allegations and a pattern of impunity for torturers, including the Decree 56 amnesty. In its concluding observations the Committee listed amongst its subjects of concern:(f) The apparent failure to investigate promptly, impartially and fully the numerous
allegations of torture and ill-treatment and to prosecute alleged offenders, and in
particular the pattern of impunity for torture and other ill-treatment committed by law
enforcement personnel in the past;
(g) The blanket amnesty extended to all alleged perpetrators of torture or other crimes by
Decree No. 56 of 2002 and the lack of redress available to victims of torture;
(h) The inadequate availability in practice of civil compensation and rehabilitation for
victims of torture prior to 2001.
The Committee recommended, inter alia, that Bahrain:
(d) Consider steps to amend Decree No. 56 of 2002 to ensure that there is no impunity
for officials who have perpetrated or acquiesced in torture or other cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment;
(e) Ensure that its legal system provides victims of past acts of torture with redress and
an enforceable right to fair and adequate compensation.
Revival of the use of torture after 2007
A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, "Torture Redux: The Revival of Physical Coercion during Interrogations in Bahrain", published in February 2010, concluded that although serious and systemic reports of torture and other ill-treatment in detention in Bahrain that were routine between 1975 and 1999 had become rare after 1999 (albeit serious abuse by security forces during arrests continued), reports of the use of torture and ill-treatment increased again after the end of 2007, coinciding with rising political tension and street demonstrations against discrimination against members of the majority Shi'a community. HRW found that government officials appeared to be using a "repertoire" of techniques to cause pain and elicit confessions from security suspects. These included "the use of electro-shock devices, suspension in painful positions, beating the soles of the feet (falaka), and beatings of the head, torso, and limbs", as well as threats to kill detainees or rape them or members of their families, in violation of Bahrain’s obligations as a state party to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Convention against Torture) and other international treaties and as the prohibition of torture in Bahraini law.During opposition street protests in Shi'a neighbourhoods and villages around Manama in December 2007 a protestor was allegedly asphyxiated by tear gas and confrontations, provoking further confrontations with security forces. Following an incident in the village of Jidhafs Bahraini human rights activists reported claims by detainees of severe beatings, electric shock, prolonged suspension in painful positions and other forms of abuse amounting to torture or other illegal treatment. These claims were officially denied.
Detainees arrested in March and April 2008 following clashes in and around the village of Karzakan that had resulted in the death of a National Security Agency
National Security Agency (Bahrain)
The National Security Agency or National Security Apparatus is an investigating authority in Bahrain that is associated with but not formally part of the Ministry of the Interior. The NSA was formed after King Hamad issued Decree No...
(NSA) officer in disputed circumstances also alleged torture and ill-treatment. Detainees arrested in December 2008 who were alleged by the authorities to have been trained in the use of explosives and sabotage techniques or to have been recruited by the opposition Haq Movement for Liberty and Democracy to encourage violent unrest also complained of being subjected to torture and ill-treatment. When they were brought to court medical examinations of a number of detainees found evidence of injuries consistent with the detainees’ allegations.
In a letter to Bahrain's Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin ‘Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, Amnesty International (AI) called for an urgent and independent investigation into allegations that soon after their arrest in December 2008 13 individuals held incommunicado at the headquarters of the National Security Apparatus in Manama were tortured with electric shocks and beatings and by being suspended by the wrists for long periods. The detainees were reported to have been transferred to the "Dry Dock" Prison (the Ministry of Interior’s Short-Term Detention Unit) only after they had made “confessions”. AI called for any officials found responsible for torture or other serious abuses to be brought to justice.
On 11 April 2009, an informal royal "pardon" was granted to 178 detainees whose sentences or trials were suspended. HRW interviewed a number of the released detainees about their treatment in detention and under interrogation (some refused to speak to HRW - human rights and opposition activists claimed that former detainees had been warned against speaking to investigators or the media). Most claimed to have been subjected to torture and ill-treatment at the Ministry of Interior’s General Directorate of Criminal Investigation (CID) headquarters in Adliya, in Manama, at the Ministry of Interior’s "Dry Dock" Short-Term Detention Unit and possibly at the offices of the NSA.
The Ministry of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior (Bahrain)
The Ministry of the Interior is the Interior ministry of Bahrain. It is responsible for law enforcement and public safety in Bahrain. The headquarter of the ministry is at the Diwan Fort in Manama, coloquially referred to as "al-gal'aa".The current interior minister Lieutenant-General Shaikh...
and the National Security Agency
National Security Agency (Bahrain)
The National Security Agency or National Security Apparatus is an investigating authority in Bahrain that is associated with but not formally part of the Ministry of the Interior. The NSA was formed after King Hamad issued Decree No...
both report to the Supreme Defense Council, headed by the prime minister and all of whose members are members of the royal family.
In a number of cases prosecutors had failed to record complaints, order medical examinations or investigate allegations, and sometimes returned detainees to the security officers allegedly responsible for the ill-treatment.
The Ministry of the Interior and the Public Prosecution Office denied that torture had been used and asserted that the claims had been fabricated. Human Rights Watch found the accounts credible and the medical reports of government doctors and court documents corroborated the allegations. (HRW noted that corroboration of torture and ill-treatment by government doctors marked a major improvement from the pre-1999 era of routine torture when few examinations were carried out and doctors were intimidated to prevent them corroborating abuse.)
HRW wrote to the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior asking detailed questions about government policies concerning torture and ill-treatment but received no response. HRW also called on the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, countries with significant security links to Bahrain, to urge the government of Bahrain to take immediate and measurable steps to end the use of torture by its security forces. As France and the United Kingdom provide the NSA and the Ministry of Interior, respectively, with training and assistance they "risk being implicated in prohibited practices and violating their own legal obligations if they cooperate with law enforcement forces they know or should know are employing torture or other ill-treatment".
Torture claims during 2011 Bahraini Uprising2011 Bahraini uprisingThe 2011 Bahraini uprising, sometimes called the February 14 Revolution is a series of demonstrations, amounting to a sustained campaign of civil resistance, in the Persian Gulf country of Bahrain...
In the period following the 2011 uprising numerous allegations of government-sponsored torture were reported in the media by human rights groups. The government has also alleged that protestors abducted and tortured members of the security forces, and there is evidence that Asian migrant workers were also subjected to attacks by groups of protestors. The Bahrain Independent Commission of InquiryBahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry
The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry also known locally in Bahrain as Bassiouni Commission was established by the King of Bahrain on 29 June 2011 tasked with looking into the incidents that occurred during the period of unrest in Bahrain in February and March 2011 and the consequences of...
is tasked with investigating all allegations of torture and is due to report its findings by the end of October 2011.
Torture claims have been made by:
Nabeel Rajab
Nabeel Rajab
Nabeel Rajab was one of the founders of the first migrant workers protection committee in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the Migrant Workers Protection Group ....
(president of BCHR
Bahrain Centre for Human Rights
The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights is a Bahraini non-profit non-governmental organisation which works to promote human rights in Bahrain, which was founded by a number of Bahraini activist in June 2002...
)
- 9 & 10 April: Ali Sager died in prison as a result of torture.
- 11 April: Martyr Zakaria Al AshiriZakariya Rashid Hassan al-AshiriZakariya Rashid Hassan al-Ashiri , also spelled Al Asheri and Aushayri, , a forty-year-old Bahraini blogger and journalist, worked as an editor and writer for a local blog news website in Al Dair, Bahrain. He was killed on April 9, 2011 while in custody of the Bahraini Government...
that we buried today – as you see the marks of torture. - 12 April: confirmed news on the torture of some arrested leaders including Hasan MushaimaHasan MushaimaHasan Mushaima is an opposition leader in Bahrain and the secretary-general of the Haq Movement, an important opposition party in Bahrain. He is campaigning for more democratic rights in Bahrain...
, Ibrahim SharifIbrahim SharifIbrahim Sharif al-Sayed is a Sunni Arab opposition political activist in Bahrain, currently serving as the General Secretary of the secular liberal National Democratic Action Society . He succeeded former General Secretary Abdulrahman al-Nuaimi, who fell into a coma in April 2007 and died in 2011...
and Dr. Abduljalil Sengace. - 13 April: Witnesses confirm signs of torture on Fakhrawi's body.
- 23 April: Reports that many of detained female & male doctors, nurses & paramedics undergoing systemic severe beating & torture>
- 26 April: poet Ayat al-GhermeziAyat al-GhermeziAyat Hassan Mohammed Al-Qurmezi is a poet and student at the Faculty of Teachers in Bahrain.The Bahrain Aid Flotilla is being launched in her honor...
subjected to severe torture and was forced to admit things have not committed in front of the camera. - 26 April: Dr.Sadik Radi is one of the youngest doctors-arrested two weeks ago – fear that he has been subjected to torture.
- 8 May: Activist Mohd Hasan Jawad,65 y- was tortured severely, electrocuted and marks of tortured was clear on his body 2day in court (Nabeel Rajab's uncle).
- 8 May: Some were tortured in order to say they are connected with Iran.
- 22 May: Cleric Habib Miqdad (Swedish nationality) told judge he was tortured, shows wound allegedly cause by drill.
- 22 May: Ahmed Abdullah:arrested a month ago w/out news But-unconfirmed news: he might be in military hospital due to Torture.
- 23 May: 2 journalists tortured in Bahrain yesterday, torture of female journalist lasted 13 hours.
- 23 May: Journalist Mazen Mahdi is being torture blindfolded & handcuffed during his suspension time.
- 23 May: Martyr Karim Fakhrawi died due to torture & electrocution to force him to confess he was dealing with Iran & Hizboallah.
- 24 May: Most of the defendants can't feel their fingers due to torture and some are afraid to complain due to threats they had received.
- 24 May: With torture signs on their bodies, 15 Bahraini detainees's denied killing an asian & accepted protesting charge.
- 24 May: 15 accused of murder of an Asian-all defendants deny the charges except the charge of protesting. All defendants were tortured.
- 25 May: Daily spiting in the mouth of detainees Abdullah Isa Al Mahroos and Mohammed Hassan Mohammed Jawad in the morning.
- 19 June: Physical and sexual abuses to cleric Merza Al Mahroos and cleric Mohammed Habib Al Meqdad. Other abuses to human rights activist Mohammed Jawad.
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
- 13 April: BAHRAIN: Fourth person dies in police custody as human rights groups allege torture (about Karim Fakhrawi).
- 4 May: BAHRAIN: Medical staff face prosecution, alleged torture after aiding anti-government protesters (about Fareeda Dallal and other unnamed doctors).
- 17 May: BAHRAIN: Report alleges torture, calls for Obama, U.S. leaders to help.
ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
- 22 March: "Bahrain activists arrested and tortured" (about Nabeel Rajab).
- 14 May: Bahrain denies torture claims.
The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
- 22 April: Bahrain security forces 'tortured patients'.
- 10 May: Blindfolded, beaten and tortured: grim new testimony reveals fate of Bahrain's persecuted doctors.
- 13 June: Ayat al-Ghermezi was whipped across the face with electric cable, held for nine days in a tiny cell with the temperature near freezing, and was forced to clean lavatories with her bare hands.
Human Rights First
Human Rights First
Human Rights First is a nonprofit, nonpartisan human rights organization based in New York City and Washington, D.C....
- 12 May: “When he was recovering from the operation they tortured him again,” Torture and Unfair Trial of Protesters in Bahrain (about the 21 suspects: Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, Abdulwahab Hussain Ali Ahmed, Ibrahim Sharif Abdulraheem MossaIbrahim SharifIbrahim Sharif al-Sayed is a Sunni Arab opposition political activist in Bahrain, currently serving as the General Secretary of the secular liberal National Democratic Action Society . He succeeded former General Secretary Abdulrahman al-Nuaimi, who fell into a coma in April 2007 and died in 2011...
, Hassan Ali MushaimaHasan MushaimaHasan Mushaima is an opposition leader in Bahrain and the secretary-general of the Haq Movement, an important opposition party in Bahrain. He is campaigning for more democratic rights in Bahrain...
, Abduljalil Abdullah Al Singace, Mohammed Habib Al Saffaf, Saeed Mirza Ahmed, Abduljalil Radhi Mansoor Makki (Abduljalil Al Muqdad), Abdulhadi Abdulla Mahdi Hassan, Al Hurr Yousif Mohammed, Abdullah Isa Al Mahroos, Salah Hubail Al Khawaja, Mohammed Hassan Jawad and Mohammed Ali Ismael. Seven more being tried in absentia are: Akeel Ahmed Al Mafoodh, Ali Hassan Abdullah, Abdulghani Ali Khanjar, Saeed Abdulnabi Shehab, Abdulraoof Al Shayeb, Abbas Al Umran and Ali Hassan Mushaima.
Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
- 23 May: Foreign media allege Bahrain abuse.
Front Line
Front line
A front line is the farthest-most forward position of an armed force's personnel and equipment - generally in respect of maritime or land forces. Forward Line of Own Troops , or Forward Edge of Battle Area are technical terms used by all branches of the armed services...
- 9 May: Bahrain: Serious concerns about torture and fair trial of former Front Line Protection Coordinator Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja after initial hearing.
Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
- 6 May: Bahrain: Further information: Human rights defender tortured in detention (about Abdulhadi Alkhawaja).
Socialist Worker Online
- 7 May: Bahrainis take torture evidence to UN.
The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- 28 April: Bahrain 'torture service' official to attend royal wedding.
Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
- 20 May: Cameron blasted for welcoming 'torturer' of Bahrain to No. 10.
The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor is an international newspaper published daily online, Monday to Friday, and weekly in print. It was started in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist. As of 2009, the print circulation was 67,703.The CSM is a newspaper that covers...
- 16 May: Bahrain rights activist's wife details torture, unfair trial (about Abdulhadi Alkhawaja and Mohammed Hassan Mohammed Jawad).
- 8 June: Bahrain campaign to humiliate Shiites goes beyond politics ("Apart from quashing political dissent, the Sunni-led government appears bent on psychologically humiliating the island’s Shiite majority into silent submission.")
CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
- 13 April: Agency: 4th protester to die in Bahrain may have been tortured (about Karim Fakhrawi).
BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
- 11 April: Bahrain unrest: Torture fears as activists die in jail.
World Socialist website
World Socialist Web Site
The World Socialist Web Site is the online news and information center of the International Committee of the Fourth International . The site publishes articles and analysis covering a wide range of topics and events all around the world. The daily 'Perspective' article presents the position of the...
- 13 April: US-backed Bahrain regime tortures, murders critics (about Ali Saqer).
Nicholas Kristof (columnist for The New York Times)
- 16 May: Our close ally, Bahrain, has a consistent record of using sexual abuse of male and female detainees as a form of torture.
Kristen Chick (Reporter for The Christian Science Monitor)
- 16 May: Another defendant, Mohamed Hassan Jawad, tried to show marks of torture on legs during hearing today, was silenced, say witnesses.
List of individuals killed under torture in Bahrain
The table below shows the names of Bahrainis who are thought to have died under torture of state security officers. The list has been compiled from reports documented by Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
and Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
.
| Year of death | Name | Occupation |
| 1976 | Saeed Al-Uwainati | Journalist |
| 1976 | Mohammed Gholoom | Medical doctor |
| 1980 | Jamil Ali Mohsin Al-Ali | |
| 1980 | Karim Al-Habshi | |
| 1981 | Mohammed Hassan Madan | |
| 1981 | Sheikh Jamal Al-Asfoor | Cleric |
| 1986 | Radhi Mahdi Ibrahim | |
| 1986 | Dr Hashim Isma'il al-'Alawi | Pediatrician |
| 1994 | Haj Mirza Ali | |
| 1995 | Hamid Qasim | Student |
| 1995 | Nidal Habib Al-Nashabah | Student |
| 1995 | Hussain Qambar | |
| 1995 | Said Abd al-Rasul al-Eskafi | Student |
| 1996 | al-Sayyid 'Ali al-Sayyid Amin al-'Alawi | |
| 1997 | 'Abd al-Zahra' Ibrahim 'Abdullah | |
| 1997 | Shaikh 'Ali Mirza al-Nakkas | Cleric |
| 1998 | Nuh Khalil Abdullah Al Nuh | |
| 2011 | Hasan Jasem Makki | |
| 2011 | Ali Isa Al-Saqer | |
| 2011 | Zakaria Rashid Al Asheeri | Journalist |
| 2011 | Kareem Fakhrawi | Businessman and Political activist |
See also
- Human rights in BahrainHuman rights in BahrainBahrain's record on human rights has been described by Human Rights Watch as "dismal", and having "deteriorated sharply in the latter half of 2010"....
- Ian HendersonIan Henderson (Britain)Ian Henderson is a British citizen known for his alleged use of torture to put down the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya, and later the 1990s Uprising in Bahrain as an employee of the Bahrain government...
- Adel FlaifelAdel FlaifelColonel Adel Jassim Flaifel is a former colonel in the State Security and Intelligence Service of Bahrain. He is accused of committing, or overseeing, acts of physical and psychological torture on Bahraini citizens from 1980s until 1997...
- Royal Decree 56 of 2002Royal Decree 56 of 2002Royal Decree 56 of 2002 is a law issued in Bahrain by King Hamad ibn Isa al-Khalifah that grants impunity to security officers and state officials from being prosecuted for human rights abuses prior to 2001.-External links:...
- State Security Law of 1974State Security Law of 1974Following Bahrain’s independence from the British in 1971, the government of Bahrain embarked on an extended period of political suppression under a 1974 State Security Law shortly after the adoption of the country’s first formal Constitution in 1973...
- 1990s Uprising in Bahrain1990s Uprising in BahrainThe 1990s Uprising in Bahrain or 1990s Intifada was an uprising in Bahrain between 1994 and 2000 in which leftists, liberals and Islamists joined forces...
- History of BahrainHistory of BahrainBahrain is a island country in the Persian Gulf. Although Bahrain became an independent country in 1971, the history of these islands starts from ancient times...
Documentary videos
- "Blind Eye to the Butcher" (2002) ITV documentary about Ian HendersonIan Henderson (Britain)Ian Henderson is a British citizen known for his alleged use of torture to put down the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya, and later the 1990s Uprising in Bahrain as an employee of the Bahrain government...
- Channel 4 report on British complicity in torture and human rights abuses in Bahrain
- A Living Martyr (2004) Interview with Bahraini torture victim Abbas Ahmed Yousif
NGO Reports
- Amnesty International: Amnesty International hails recent positive human rights developments (Feb 20, 2001)
- Amnesty International: Concerned that new legislation allows impunity for human rights offences (Nov 28, 2002)
- Human rights developments and Amnesty International's continuing concerns (Nov 20, 2000)
- Amnesty International: Women and Children Subject to Increasing Abuse (Jul 15, 1996)
- Amnesty International: A human rights crisis (Sep 25, 1995)
- Amnesty International: Banned from Bahrain: forcible exile of Bahraini nationals (Dec 15, 1993)
- Amnesty International: Violations of human rights (May 8, 1991)
- Human Rights Watch: Human Rights Developments 1999: Bahrain
- Human Rights Watch: Routine Abuse, Routine Denial: Civil Rights and the Political Crisis in Bahrain (June 1997)
- Redress Trust: Submission Of THE REDRESS TRUST To The House of Lords meeting On Bahrain [pdf 154KB] (Aug 2004)
- Redress Trust: Reparation for Torture: A Survey of Law and Practice in 30 Selected Countries (Bahrain Country Report) [pdf 74KB] (May 2003)
- World Organisation Against Torture: Rights of the Child in Bahrain [pdf 831KB] (October 2001)
- National Committee for Martyrs and Victims of Torture in Bahrain: Address to London seminar (Dec 2004)
- Report submitted by the Bahrain Human Rights Society to the Committee against Torture [pdf 64KB]
UN Documents
- Conclusions and recommendations of the Committee against Torture: Bahrain (21 June 2005)
- Report submitted by the government of Bahrain to the Committee Against Torture [pdf, 125KB]
- North South XXI: Submission to the UN Commission on Human Rights (Jan 11, 1999)
- International Federation of Human Rights Leagues: Submission to UN Commission on Human Rights about Bahrain (Jan 20, 1998)
- Report of UN Special Rapporteur on torture: Bahrain (Dec 20, 1996)
- Report of UN Special Rapporteur on torture: Bahrain (Dec 24, 1997)
- Report of UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary execution: Bahrain (Dec 19, 1997)
Debates in the British Parliament
- Debate on human rights violations in Bahrain in the UK House of Commons (June 3, 1997)
- Debate on human rights violations in Bahrain in the UK House of Lords (June 5, 1995)
News articles
- BBC: Bahrain Shia call for activists' release (Feb 28, 2008)
- AFP: Rights group calls on Bahrain to deal with legacy of torture (Sep 30, 2005)
- Gulf News: Rights activists to petition Hamad (May 26, 2003)
- BBC: Bahrain sacks interior minister (May 22, 2004)
- BBC: Bahrain lifts key security law (Feb 18, 2001)
- Le Monde Diplomatique: Bahraini Regime Stages Confessions, Rejects Compromise (July 1996)
Miscellaneous
- Voice of Bahrain: Some of the murder victims of the State Security Law