Bahrain! Helping Torturers Go Free Since 1975

editor: given Bahrain’s rich history of lies, deceit and betrayal of reform. Is there anyone out there who seriously thinks the al Khalifa’s have the desire or capacity to “reform” their torture state. Promises on paper and Royal Decrees that can be change on a whim make it an impossibility no matter the power brokering that goes on behind closed door. Just take a look at the regime’s rich history of torture. Phlipn

Bahrain! Helping Torturers Go Free Since 1975
16 March, 2012 – Marc Owen Jones

Torture has been a systemic problem in Bahrain since at least 1975. Since that time, however, not one state security employee or government official has ever been convicted of torture. On the other hand, it took the Lower National Safety Court just 2 months to convict 9 civilians of ‘torturing’ a policeman. Some hoped that after the release of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry’s report, state officials who were complicit in torture against civilians would be brought to justice. This has failed to happen. Furthermore, the highest rank of those even put before the courts appears to be a lieutenant, and that case doesn’t even relate to ‘torture’. Naturally this has done nothing to appease those in Bahrain who want justice, as many believe that government officials are either directly responsible for issuing the torture order, or at least complicit through negligence.

In many cases, it is not even clear how many policeman are being tried and what charges are being leveled against them. Today, a pro-regime newspaper reported that 50 policeman were being prosecuted for ‘mistreatment of protesters during last year’s unrest’. It is unclear whether these 50 policeman are the same 48 policeman who were questioned in relation to 107 cases of death and ‘alleged’ torture. It also appears that there has been no further news (BICI, 905) on the policemen who were taken into custody following the deaths of Fadhel Salman Matrook and Ali Abdulhadi Mushaima back in February 2011. …more