Installation of mechanisms for the prevention of torture and ill-treatment in Bahrain

Installation of mechanisms for the prevention of torture and ill-treatment
Public submission to the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry – Geneva, August 2011 – APT Association for Prevention of Torture

Background

The Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) is an independent non-governmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, that specializes in the prevention of torture and other forms of ill-treatment. The APT has been working with the Government of Bahrain and Bahraini NGOs from 2008 until June 2010 on raising awareness about the prevention of torture and ill-treatment, in particular in the context of follow-up to commitments and pledges that Bahrain has taken in the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review process (UPR) in 2008. Namely, the UPR Steering Committee had invited the APT to conduct two trainings on the prohibition and prevention of torture for the Bahraini judiciary and law enforcement in May 2009 and in June 2010.

The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) is mandated to investigate and report about the events that occurred in February and March 2011 and to make recommendations on providing justice and ensuring non-repetition. The BICI can thus, inter alia, make “recommendations concerning the institutionalization of mechanisms designed to prevent the recurrence of similar events” (Royal Decree No. 28 of 2011, §10) Based on APT’s mandate and expertise on prevention, this public submission will focus on suggesting measures and mechanisms to prevent torture and other ill-treatment. …more