Bahrain resumes detainee torture, says rights group
Bahrain had ended the practice a decade ago, but resumed it in 2007, says Human Rights Watch.
February 8, 2010 8:14 by kippreport
Bahrain resumed torturing detainees in 2007 after about a decade of not engaging in the practice, according to a report released by US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday. The country stopped detainee torture in the late 1990s, but resumed the practice in December 2007 after street demonstrations by Shiites, the report said.
According to Joe Stork, HRW’s deputy Middle East director, there was “credible evidence” that security forces in Bahrain had tortured detainees with electric shocks and beatings, had suspended them in painful positions, and has also threatened their family members with death and rape.
“The return of torture is especially distressing since Bahrain showed the political will a decade ago to end this scourge,” said the report. “The government should promptly investigate all torture allegations and prosecute offenders according to international fair trial standards,” it said.
The report is based on interviews with 20 former detainees, court and medical records.
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