SALAM: Bahrain: Torture and medical negligence of detainees with cancer, epilepsy and sclerosis

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SALAM for Democracy and Human Rights monitored more than 50 cases of abuse during April 2018 committed by security authorities in Bahrain against a number of political detainees and human rights activists. According to reliable sources, we report that four detainees were subjected to various forms of torture, one of which resulted in the injury of detainee Ahmed Ali Radhi from the village of Nuwaidrat with fractures and bruises in different parts of his body.

 In addition, 32 detainees were reportedly ill-treated during April, ranging from depriving some of them from attending funerals of their relatives, denial of visits, solitary confinement, denial of calls, and of doings sport exercises, exit to the yard, and a ban on drinking water.

The detainee Mohammed Ahmed Ali from the village of Abu Saiba and the detainee Qasim Buhumaid from Al-Malikiya were subjected to solitary confinement while the detainee Qais Abbas from Ali village was confined for 5 hours in the hot sun after he asked the prison administration to allow him to go to the open area for exposure to the sun. Jaafar Al-Madani was also denied access to call his family. In addition to these cases, prominent human rights activist and detainee in the prisons of Bahrain, Nabeel Rajab was prevented from drinking water.

 Around this says Sayed Yousif Al Muhafdha, Vice President of SALAM for Democracy and Human Rights: “The ongoing monitoring of abuses indicates that brutal acts against political detainees and human rights activists in Bahrain are systematic, and officials of the Ministry of the Interior are aware of if not even directed by them”.

“The security authorities in Bahrain continue to avenge all citizens who demand reform and democracy with all barbarism and brutality. The detainees, even children and those with serious illnesses such as cancer, epilepsy, sclerosis. We continue to hold the Bahraini government responsible for the safety of all political prisoners in its prisons, and we call upon the international community to put pressure on the Bahraini government to ensure the safety of all political prisoners in its prisons. The Bahraini government to stop all forms of human rights violations, hold those responsible for these violations, release political prisoners and start directly reforming the political, security and social system in Bahrain”, Al Muhafdha added.

Not only were the security authorities and the prison administration committing serious violations, but more than 15 detainees were denied access to treatment and health care, and the authorities deliberately subjected a number of detainees to medical negligence, such as the case of detainee Yousef Mohammed Fathi from Muharraq, who was not treated and was deliberate neglected after having had a head tumor removed.

The list of prisoners who are banned from treatment and health care includes Ammar Sahwan, who is suffering from injuries caused by shotguns. Detainee Elias Al Mulla, who is suffering from cancer, and the detainee Mohamed Ahmed Ali, and Ahmed Al Qubaiti, who are wounded by shotgun fissions whom the authorities completely refuse to treat.

A number of detainees suffering from sclerosis, epilepsy and severe pain in various areas of the body such as the eye, head and teeth are subject to medical negligence and lack of health care. Nabeel Rajab was also prevented from undergoing surgery.

It has been also monitored that families of three of the detainees were mistreated by security forces during raids on their homes.

SALAM for Democracy and Human Rights calls for the immediate cessation of all violations and the opening of an immediate and transparent investigation with the participation of international and national rights parties in all violations committed by the official authorities. It should also release all political and rights activists, and cease all trials based on political grounds. The government should stop subjecting families of activists to harassment too. A national commission of justice for all victims of torture must be formed.

On April 20, 2018, the US State Department issued a report on the exercise of human rights in 2017, in which it stressed the concerns and observations of the US administration on the human rights situation in Bahrain. The State Department report on arbitrary killings by Bahraini security forces, torture violations against detainees, harsh conditions of detention, and restrictions imposed by the Bahraini authorities on freedom of expression and the press, freedom of movement, withdrawal of nationality and discrimination on a sectarian basis and exacerbation of the problem of impunity to officials accused of human rights violations.

In this regard, SALAM for Democracy and Human Rights affirms that the State’s condones of all incidents of torture monitored by domestic and international human rights organizations and their failure to carry out their responsibilities in investigating and prosecuting those responsible for these crimes is a proof of the systematic torture in Bahrain. Where the policy of impunity encourages more members and officers of the security services to commit crimes such as torture, forced detention and other violations of the principles of human rights and related international instruments ratified by Bahrain.

Below are names of detainees subject to ill-treatment, torture and denial of treatment during April:

Torture:

  1. Aqeel Hassan Jassem – from Al Aker village.
  2. Ahmed Ali Radhi – from Nuwaidrat (he spent three months spent in the hospital of the Ministry of Interior known by Al Qaalaa since his arrest after being subjected to brutal assault caused his back injury and fractures and bruises in various body parts).
  3. Hussain Ali Al-Sahlawi – from Karzakan.
  4. Hussain Ali Saleh – from Abu saiba.

Maltreatment:

  1. Hussain Juma – from Bilad Al Qadeem (deprived of attending his grandmother’s funeral).
  2. Sheikh Issa Al-Qafas- from Sanabis (deprived of calls for celebrating an Islamic occasion).
  3. The sentenced to death Muhammad Al Mutghawi – from Al-Duraz (deprived of visits).
  4. The sentenced to death Sayed Alawi Hussain Al Musawi – from Al-Duraz (deprived of visits).
  5. Ahmed AbdulRasool – from Bilad Al Qadeem (deprived of calls).
  6. Muhammad Ahmad Ali – from Abu saiba (solitary confinement).
  7. Qassem Buhameed – from Al-Malkiya (solitary confinement).
  8. Brothers Hassan and Ali Abed Imam – from Abu saiba (denial of calls).
  9. Ali Abdul-Zahra Salman Al-Qafas – from Al-Nuaim (deprived of attending his uncle’s funeral).
  10. Ali Ahmed Habib Ashoor – from Karzakan (deprived of calls).
  11. Ali Hussain Al-Shaikh – from Al Daih (solitary confinement and denial of calls).
  12. Sayed Mohamed Taleb – from Al Qurayya (deprived of calls and going out at the yard for for exercise).
  13. The child Haidar Ibrahim Al Mulla – from Sanabis (deprived of visits).
  14. Sadiq al-Banna – from Jidhafs (denied calls).
  15. Qais Abbas – from A’ali (chained for 5 hours under the sun because he asked to go out in the fenced yard).
  16. Rights activist Nabeel Rajab – from Bani Jamra (prevented from drinking water).
  17. Mohammed Jawad Yaqoob – from Sanabis (deprived of calls).
  18. Sayed Hussain Amin- from Tubli (deprived of attending his grandmother’s funeral).
  19. Sayed Muntadher Amin- from Tubli (deprived of attending his grandmother’s funeral).
  20. Ali Hussain AlShaikh – from Al Daih (solitary confienement).
  21. – Sayed Redha Ali – from Abu Saiba (deprived of calls for celebrating a religious occasion).
  22. Jassim Mohammed Abdullah – from Salmabad (deprived of calls for celebrating a religious occasion).
  23. Emad Al-Oraibi – from Musalla (denial of calls).
  24. Abbas Sawar – from Musalla (denial of calls)
  25. Ali Al Sakran – from Musalla (denial of calls).
  26. Sayed Kadhem Al-Musawi – from Musalla (denial of calls).
  27. Sami Al Otaish- from Musalla (denial of calls).
  28. Muhammad Jawad – from Musalla (denial of calls).
  29. Qassim Al-Mansi – from Al-Bilad Al-Qadim (denial of calls).
  30. Jawad Kadhme – from A’ali (deprived of attending his grandmother’s funeral).
  31. Jassem Mohammed Rashed Al-Rashed – from Demestan (deprived from attending his grandmother’s funeral).
  32. The Child Jaafar Al-Madani -from Al Duraz (denial of calls).

 

Denial of treatment:

  1. Ammar Sahwan – from Muqaba (injured by shotguns).
  2. Yousef Mohammed Fathi – from al-Muharraq (who underwent an operation to remove a tumor in the head and was not treated and was neglected).
  3. Elias Al Mulla – from Sitra (cancer).
  4. Human rights defender Nabeel Rajab – from Bani Jamra (deprived from a surgery).
  5. Mohammed Ahmed Ali – from Abu Saiba (wounded by a shotgun and the authorities refuse to treat him)
  6. Mohammed Al-Aamer – from A’ali (has skin condition and does not receive his medicines).
  7. Mohammed Hamid al-Daqqaq – from Karbabad (suffering from sclerosis and the prison administration ignore to transfer him to see the doctor).
  8. Hussain Ali Mohammed – from Karzakan (suffering from severe pain in his teeth).
  9. Yunus Hadher – from Al Duraz (subjected to epileptic seizures and prison administration ignore his conditions).
  10. Ahmad al-Qubaiti – Abu Saiba (injured by a shotgun).
  11. Ayoob Adel – from Muharraq (wounded with a broken leg with metal installations).
  12. Mohammed Hamid Al-Daqqaq – from Karababad (infected with severe sclerosis).
  13. Haider Mulla – from Al Duraz (has a broken nose and hearing impairment).
  14. Jaafar Aqil Al Madani – from Al Duraz (infected with scabies).
  15. Hussain al-Marri – from Bori (suffering from severe pain in his eyes).
  16. Osama al-Saghir – from Abu Saiba (suffering severe pain in the head and hand as a result of a shotgun injury on the day of the crackdown in front of the house of Sheikh Issa Qasim in Duraz, from a distance of about a meter).
  17. Sayed Hashim Alabbar – from Manama (suffering from Severe Acute Sclerosis and needs special care).

Source: SALAM DHR