Mistreatment of prisoners in Bahrain’s Jaw Prison

Bahrain: ill-treatment of ex-police officer Ali Al-Ghanmi and other prisoners in Jaw Prison
17 July, 2012 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) express concerns over the ill-treatment and harassment of ex-police officer Ali Al-Ghanmi (26) who is detained since 4 May 2011. Ali has been sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment by a military court on 9 January 2012, for charges related to freedom of speech and expression. He is accused of inciting hatred for the regime, protesting in 11 different pro-democracy rallies and the Pearl Roundabout, inciting military officers, absenteeism from work and communicating with foreign media channels. During some of the protests he is accused of, he was actually in prison.

For the past 3 weeks, Ali Al-Ghanmi has been held in a prison cell without any air-conditioning in the central prison in Jaw. It is summer in Bahrain and the temperature can reach over 45 degrees (Celcius). There are a number of prison cells that do not have air-conditioning. In some cells, the prison guards have opened the doors of some cells to allow air to come in. However, the centralized air-conditioning has not been fixed. According to Ali, the prison cells should be accommodated with no more than 6 people, but since it is overpacked, some cells have up to 7 or 8 inmates and therefore some of them have to sleep on the floor.
Ali Al-Ghanmi has a health condition that needs treatment, but he has been denied access to the hospital. Ali has callus in his foot that needs surgery to be removed. Ali has written multiple times to the prison manager of his need to visit the hospital but his requests have been denied. Ali has kept a record of the dates of the letters that have been declined. …more