Bahrain's opposition marks the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, an international observance annually held on the 26th of June, to voice opinion against torture and ill-treatment practiced by the authorities. When it comes to Bahrain, torture has been indeed practiced for decades by the oppressive government which pays no respect to its obligations and which has inflicted the unimaginable on hundreds of political detainees.
Once Bahrain is mentioned, it immediately comes to mind the systematic campaign of political and sectarian retribution and the heinous sorts of inhumane abuses, in which many have had their bodies ended up shuddered in permanent disability if not murdered. It is Bahrain, the tiny Persian island - the police state - where those who dare demand their natural rights end up violently, disproportionally and lethally suppressed.
Almost one decade after the February 2011 peaceful uprising, Bahrain's human rights record has alarmingly worsened and claims of torture have only escalated as the government demonstrates a zero-tolerance policy for peaceful dissents solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. It imprisons, tortures, revokes citizenship, exiles, or intimidated them into silence. Further, it continues to carry out the death penalty without adequately investigating all allegations of torture.
On 15, January 2017, Bahrain's king ended a de facto seven-year moratorium on the death penalty, when he ratified the execution of three victims of torture Ali al-Sankis, Sami Mshaima’ and Abbas al-Samea. Under Bahrain's constitution, after the Court of Cassation confirms a death sentence, the decree is sent to the king, who has the power to ratify the verdict, commute it, or grant a pardon.
Furthermore, on July 27, 2019, three men were executed, including Ali al-Arab and Ahmad al-Malali, both convicted of alleged terrorism offenses in a mass trial marred by allegations of torture and serious due process concerns.
Meanwhile, there are 26 inmates at imminent risk of execution; 12 are convicted on political charges. 10 out of those 12 are at risk of imminent execution having exhausted all legal remedies and whose lives can be snuffed out with a stroke of the king's signature in a clear and blatant miscarriage of justice.
Just last week, Bahrain’s Court of Cassation upheld the death sentence against two victims of torture Zuhair Ibrahim and Hussein Abdullah; both were coerced into a false confession under severe torture in an absolute travesty of justice and respect to human rights and dignity.
Zuhair Ibrahim was held incommunicado for 55 days after his arrest, during which time he was interrogated without the presence of a lawyer. The death row inmate was subjected to a range of human rights infringement including beatings, electric shocks, sexual assault and attempted rape. Besides, officers threatened to murder his children and rape his wife.
The United Nations Committee against Torture has frequently raised concerns that Bahrain's oversight bodies, who failed to investigate torture allegations or to hold accountable officials, are neither independent nor effective.
Another two tortured death-row prisoners are Hussein Ali Moosa and Mohamed Ramadan who are sentenced to death for allegedly murdering a policeman, despite compelling evidence that their convictions were based on confessions obtained under torture.
Moreover, the imprisoned opposition leaders have had their special portion of torture. For instance, the health of Abduljalil al-Singace, an elderly prominent opposition figure, who is serving a life sentence, is deteriorating significantly as the prison authorities have denied him medical appointments after he refused to wear a prison uniform or shackles, which he considers humiliating.
The only female prisoner of conscious is Zakia Al-Barbouri, who has been charged into five years in prison on February 6, 2019, also has had her citizenship revoked in politically-motivated case. The Bahraini authorities claimed that Zakia had been "transporting materials used in explosive devices" to an alleged cell trained in Iraq. The authorities based the grounds of these charges on the defendant's confessions, which had been; however, extracted under duress and torture.
Prominent human rights defender Ebtisam Al-Saegh was released On 22 October 2017, following months of detention and interrogation at Isa Town Women's Prison, where she has reported being subjected to harassment and intimidation. Ebtisam Al-Saegh received severe beatings, sexual assault, and physical and psychological torture during interrogation by Bahraini security forces due to her activism and a statements she had made protesting systematic human rights violations.
Unfortunately, there has been no adequate prosecution of the perpetrators implicated in the severe and widespread abuses including among others electric shocks, suspension in painful positions, forced standing, extreme cold, and physical, sexual and psychological abuses. Those who have been held accountable were low-ranking officers mostly have resulted in acquittals or disproportionately light sentences.
*(Top image credit: ecdhr.org)
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