President Obama’s ‘friend’ continues systematic abuse, arrest, imprisonment of Children in Bahrain

Bahrain: 16 years old child Ali Al Muhafdha detained and deprived from proper medical care
07 September, 2012 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

Although Bahrain is a signatory of the convention of the rights of the child, children in Bahrain continue to be subjected to ill-treatment, torture and arbitrary detention by the Bahraini force. Bahrain Center for human rights (BCHR) expresses its grave concern over the high number of detained children.

Sayed Ali Al Muhafdha, 16 years old, was arrested from 14 Jun 2012 to date as his detention was extended several times. According to his family he was severely beaten on the head and other parts of his body and was deprived of water for a day. He was kept in ward 7 in a dry dock prison which has detainees from all ages and later moved to a childrens’ ward. Sayed Ali is ill and because of the conditions during his detention, his illness was worsened. On 28 Aug 2012, his father stated that Sayed Ali had a high fever and abdominal pain, that he could not urinate for 10 days, was suffering from serious pain and that he was not able to move or speak clearly. He was taken after midnight to Salmaniya hospital after deterioration of his health, but he was only given some painkillers and returned to prison. He was then taken again to the hospital on 26 Aug where the doctor advised that he might have kidney stones and asked for him to be admitted. However he was taken back to prison. Sayed Ali is still in detention and is being denied proper medical care.

More than 80 children are in Bahraini prisons on sham charges and being tried in unfair trials. With no regard to their age and emotional status, children are being kept in detention for months while at least one was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment by a military court (link). …more