President Obama allows ‘friends’ to engage in grave abuse of US ‘Democracy Prize’ winning activist Nabeel Rajab

Wife of Nabeel Rajab reveals his harsh conditions: stripped naked, put in a dirty cell with dead animals and water is limited!
6 September, 2012 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

Further to the last update published by the GCHR and BCHR about ill-treatment of the imprisoned Human Rights Defender Nabeel Rajab in Bahrain prison by putting him in solitary confinement (read it here), we have received more details in that regard.

Sumaya Rajab, wife of human rights defender Nabeel Rajab, stated that she met Nabeel (4 September 2012) in Jaw Prison for the first time in three weeks.

Sumaya confirmed that Nabeel is subjected to degrading conditions and ill-treatment through repeated personal inspections, whereby they take off all his clothes during the inspection and leave him with only a small piece of fabric to cover his private areas. He said he was subjected to deliberately humiliating inspections.

With regards to being put in solitary confinement in August, Nabeel told Sumaya that he was taken to solitary on the day he was sentenced to three-years imprisonment, which seems to indicate a desire for revenge and punishment, and added that the atmosphere of the cell suggested to him that he would be exposed to “repeated meals of severe torture.”

She continued by saying that in his solitary cell, Nabeel was stripped of all his clothes, forced to wear a small piece of fabric (“a wrapper”) only, then forced to stand and sit 40 times as part of the physical torture he suffered despite the fact that he suffers from a herniated disc in his back, and has requested a special medical belt to help cope with the recurrence of pain. He was also hit on the back by security forces several times previously.

Sumaya said that Nabeel does not know how many days he spent in that cell, because he could not tell day from night. Also, he said his cell was filled with dirt and even a dead cat!

As well, Sumaya confirmed that Nabeel doesn’t eat the food he’s given by the prison because he does not trust them, so he has lived for nearly two months on what is left of his corn flakes cereal and some canned food, as he’s allowed to buy from the prison cafeteria only once a week. Also, he’s allowed to only take 6 litres of water per week, although he suffers from kidney and gallbladder stones.

Sumaya said that for the first time in two months Nabeel ate cooked food today, as his family were able to give him a sandwich. He is prohibited from having sugar as well.

She continued saying that the prison administration refused to give Nabeel an electric shaver which she brought after Nabeel was refused shaving blades she brought the last time. As a result, he cannot shave and looks inappropriate, which she considers is one of the degrading actions committed against him. …more