Bahraini Police Continue Beating, Torturing Detainees

While in Bahrain, from April 15 to 19, 2012, Human Rights Watch interviewed 14 young males, including 7 children, who said police had beaten them severely while arresting them for participating in public protests and while taking them to a police station.

The beatings took place after the release of the report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) in November 2011 and subsequent pledges by government officials, including King Hamad, to end ill-treatment and torture. Five of the incidents occurred in April.

Visible injury marks appeared to confirm details of accounts from former detainees interviewed by Human Rights Watch, the organization said.

According to Human Rights Watch, beating and torture of prisoners is continuing at informal facilities and in secluded outdoor areas, where detainees have been taken for up to two hours before they're transferred to police stations.

Sunday's Human Rights Watch report comes amid growing global scrutiny of the human rights situation in the Persian Gulf island.

Police in Bahrain regularly resort to beating anti-government protesters.

Earlier this month opposition groups in Bahrain and politicians around the world called for officials to cancel a Formula 1 race as violent clashes continued between activists and authorities. The Bahrain Grand Prix continued as scheduled, but protesters used the international spotlight on the race to call for the release of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, a detained human rights activist who has been on a hunger strike for more than two months.

The activist, who was arrested last April for his role in anti-government demonstrations that swept through his country, is protesting his life prison sentence.

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Source: Fars News Agency

While in Bahrain, from April 15 to 19, 2012, Human Rights Watch interviewed 14 young males, including 7 children, who said police had beaten them severely while arresting them for participating in public protests and while taking them to a police station. The beatings took place after the release of the report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) in November 2011 and subsequent pledges by government officials, including King Hamad, to end ill-treatment and torture. Five of the incidents occurred in April. Visible injury marks appeared to confirm details of accounts from former detainees interviewed by Human Rights Watch, the organization said. According to Human Rights Watch, beating and torture of prisoners is continuing at informal facilities and in secluded outdoor areas, where detainees have been taken for up to two hours before they're transferred to police stations. Sunday's Human Rights Watch report comes amid growing global scrutiny of the human rights situation in the Persian Gulf island. Police in Bahrain regularly resort to beating anti-government protesters. Earlier this month opposition groups in Bahrain and politicians around the world called for officials to cancel a Formula 1 race as violent clashes continued between activists and authorities. The Bahrain Grand Prix continued as scheduled, but protesters used the international spotlight on the race to call for the release of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, a detained human rights activist who has been on a hunger strike for more than two months. The activist, who was arrested last April for his role in anti-government demonstrations that swept through his country, is protesting his life prison sentence. The End Source: Fars News Agency