MPs call on Mr Cameron to stop arming Saudi-backed torture regime

Forty four British Members of Parliament have signed the following Early Day Motion condemning the continuing human rights violations in Bahrain.

“That this House notes that despite the publication of the Bahrain Commission of Inquiry Report in 2011 which chronicled torture and extrajudicial killing regrets that many violations of human rights continue; is shocked that there are 3,000 political prisoners, children in detention, citizenship removed from activists and arbitrary arrests amongst the many violations of human rights independently reported; and calls on the Government to make the strongest possible representations to the government of Bahrain and to refuse all arms and crowd control equipment exports to Bahrain.”

After one year of incarceration in most inhumane conditions, two Bahraini women have been unjustly sentenced to five years in jail for protesting last year against the Formula1 race. The Alkhalifa regime has waited until this year’s race has ended before issuing its decision yesterday to impose lengthy prison sentence on the two women. Raihana Al Mousawi and Nafisa Al Usfoor were arrested for attempting to take their peaceful struggle inside the race track in the south of the country. They were arrested and severely tortured. They were subjected to various kinds of torture including sexual assault. Raihana had been sentenced earlier to another five years in jail for alleged association with the 14th February Coalition that seeks to change the regime.

Torture has become rampant in the prisons as Western countries continue to shelter the regime. Among the recent victims of torture are: Ibrahim Al Hurr who was subjected to horrific torture at the hands of the Death Squads groomed by the royal court and dispatched to kill protesters and torture prisoners. He suffered beating, humiliating treatment and psychological torture. At the same prison, Qais Abbas was beaten to the extent that he became unable to stand on his feet. Sheikh Jassim Al Demstani suffered vicious torture at Jaw Prison including physical and psychological ill-treatment. Mahmood Al Saba’ was also subjected to similar treatment at the notorious Jaw prison.

Torture is compounded by lack of medical care to the prisoners. Sayed Ali Sayed Salman is being denied treatment for severe pain in his teeth and ears. He also suffers from enlarged tonsils.

On 25th April, Nicholas McGeehan of Human Rights Watch wrote a short commentary entitled: “Bahrain Shooting the Messenger on Torture” in which he said: ”Bahrain has a well-deserved reputation for torture, but now the authorities are threatening action against people who discuss it. Bahrain’s official news agency on April 14, 2104, reported that the interior minister “defied those alleging torture to corroborate those claims” and asserted that “those who make false allegations about torture will be challenged by law.” After substantiating his arguments with facts including the threatening of Sayed Hadi Al Mosawi, head of Al Wefaq’s human rights committee, he concluded:  “These developments arise almost exactly a year after Bahrain effectively cancelled the country visit of the special rapporteur on human rights, Juan Mendez. In short, Bahrain’s reputation for torture is a problem of its own making, and threatening those who report allegations of torture will only make things worse.”

The predicament of Jaw Prison’s detainees is testimony to the continuation of the torture doctrine fiercely embraced by Alkhalifa dictatorship. On Monday night (28th April) masked members of the Death Squads went to the prison and asked for eight people; four from section 10 of the prison, three from section 3 and one from section 5. They were: Sayed Adnan Essa, Ali Ibrahim and Abbas Ali (from Maqaba), Ali Hassan Abdulla (from Aali), Ali Majed (from Abu Saiba), Sheikh Riyadh Al Hinni (from Sitra) and Hassan Mushaima (from Sanabis). They were taken to the CID headquarters where they were subjected to severe torture. The aim was to force them to inform on other Bahraini youth who are on the run. After four hours of intensive torture they were returned with serious injuries on their hands and faces. It is unfortunate that the UN Human Rights Commission’s team was in the country but could not stop torture being committed in their presence.

Another group of Bahrainis were sentenced to lengthy jail sentences. Mohammad Ali, Redha Hussain and Ali Saeed, all from Sadad Town were given 15 years for protesting against the hereditary dictatorship. On Monday 28th April eight under-aged Bahrainis from Samaheej Town were remanded for 45 days by Alkhalifa court.

Bahrain Freedom Movement
30th April 2014