العربية
Bahrain has restored arrest and investigatory powers to an intelligence agency that conducted “terrorizing” house raids and systematically tortured detainees in 2011, Human Rights Watch said. The decision to grant Bahrain’s National Security Agency (NSA) the power to arrest and detain people suspected of terrorist offenses reverses one of the few significant security sector reforms introduced after 2011.
Royal Decree No. 1 of 2017, published in Bahrain’s official gazette on January 5, states that “members of the National Security Agency shall maintain the status of law enforcement officer vis-à-vis terrorist crimes.”
“Returning arrest powers to an intelligence agency that terrorized families and tortured detainees is yet another nail in the coffin for Bahrain’s post-2011 reform process,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Detainees will not be safe in NSA custody and Bahrain’s oversight mechanisms are no guarantee of protection.”
To read the full statement press here