Bahrain Should be Investigated

May 11, 2011
Bahrain should set up torture investigation body: HRW
Al-Khawaja is now facing military trial Thursday April 21, 2011, in connection with recent protests against the Bahraini regime. — PHOTO: AP

DUBAI – BAHRAIN should suspend prosecution of civilians in military courts and set up an impartial commission to look into allegations of torture during a clampdown on those involved in street protests, a US-based rights group said.

Human Rights Watch said Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, a prominent rights activist who appeared before a special military-style court on May 8, a month after he was arrested, bore visible signs of ill-treatment and perhaps torture. ‘It appears that Abdulhadi al-Khawaja’s jailers tortured him during the month they held him in incommunicado detention,’ said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director for the New York-based group.Government officials were not immediately available to comment.

Human Rights Watch said Khawaja, who it said was maltreated, was among a group of opposition activists charged with attempting to topple the government ‘in collaboration with a terrorist organisation working for a foreign country’. The government denies there is torture in Bahrain and officials say all such accusations will be investigated. The trial is due to resume on Thursday after being adjourned to allow defence lawyers to meet with clients and in some cases to appoint lawyers. — REUTERS …more