We do not want to see Torture Redux

We do not want to see Torture Redux
Last week, Interior Minister Lt. General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, to prosecute officers and four police officers before the military court for assault on one of the detainees.

According to Assistant Undersecretary for Legal Affairs, Ministry of the Interior, it is based on a complaint filed by the father of one of those arrested in a criminal case (ie robbery with violence) in which he stated his son was assaulted by police of a police station.

The military prosecutor of legal affairs in the ministry took over the investigation immediately on the same day the complaint where it was a question the arrested detailed and presented to the forensic doctor to prove his injuries, cause and resulted in a medical examination by the forensic physician, which was conducted following the author after about five days from the date of the event received a complaint the presence of some injuries is on the effects of electrocution and abrasions to run well back and right leg as contained medical report, which came in line with the decision of the arrested.

According to the Interior Ministry, «has been called the officer and police officials were questioning about the accusations and countered what was stated the complaint, which reported that the attacks were arrested and face expressions are an affront to them while performing their job».

According to the ministry's statement, it is also the conclusion of the investigations and the availability of evidence for abuse ordered the Interior Minister referring them immediately to trial before a military court grand ».

Without the slightest doubt, this incident and, despite her dark of overcome some of the associate members of the security services of the limits of their powers law by resorting to torture, the bright side the other it is the two main issues: formal endorsement of the existence of some violations beyond the framework of the law (recognition using shock electrical events and distortions on the body of the arrested), and the other point, and most importantly is the initiative to investigate the incident and follow-up Mlabestha and bring those responsible for this violation of the trial.

Such a statement is an important step in the right way, and worthy of all praise, appreciation and encouragement, but we hope to complete the other steps are also important, including listening to all allegations of torture in Bahrain, such as those talked about some of the detainees at the disposal of security issues, they talked frankly before the courts for some exposure to various violations.

Today, we have in Bahrain is different from the former, because the claim is the criminalization of torture based on the constitutional articles are clear and based also on the large amount of international treaties and conventions ratified by Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia won the membership of the International Council on Human Rights of the United Nations, and presented its report including the many commitments and voluntary commitments, but still the commitments and pledges are far from application in many cases.

International organizations spoke about the allegations of torture in Bahrain, several days ago, Amnesty International called on the Bahraini authorities to investigate the new allegations about the exposure of persons detained on terrorism charges.

She also called for the Organization to conduct a prompt and independent investigation into allegations of torture, and to take steps to protect the defendants and twenty-three from exposure to other violations. Although the Ministry of Interior has formed an internal committee for human rights, the Commission has not been activated as had been hoped until now, but still need to open a hotline to strengthen the system to receive your complaints and allegations of torture be investigated.

Bahrain embarked on a bold and important in the field of human rights, it is theoretically Bahrain is of the few countries in the region that have ratified most international conventions against torture, but in practice it has not been working to harmonize national legislation with those conventions, there is no national law criminalizes torture, and no clear mechanisms for implementation of international conventions, and that the state is not full speed and seriousness with which allegations of torture raised between now and then except for some cases.

Minister of the Interior has the directions of reform are clear, and since assuming his functions sought to change the stereotyped image of the ministry, and began to open up to civil society institutions, particularly the Bahraini Association for Human Rights, which entered into a partnership with the task of the ministry. But the Human Rights Association was trim her nails and a freeze on actual activity after the dissolution of the management team, and is still concerned with this file escape their responsibilities to the Assembly, charmingly appointed by a government employee to dominate the Assembly and are sometimes prosecuted Board of Directors of judicial and other times it is insulting to the Assembly in the media media in various forms.

The survival of the Human Rights Association (outside the scope of coverage) means that there is a real retreat in dealing with the human rights file. We must review the official line in the file human rights generally, and the file of Human Rights Association, frozen by a formal notification in particular.

Yesterday met Deputy Prime Minister HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa in Washington with Vice President of Human Rights Watch «Human Rights Watch» Joe Stork, where the review of relations and cooperation between the competent authorities of human rights in Bahrain, Human Rights Watch. And Stork have been harassed in his recent visit to Bahrain was restricting the movement of its activity, may be on the back of alarm in some quarters of his address and exciting «Torture in Bahrain ... Redux », although it continues to effectively and continuously, with the official authorities.

Despite all this, I'm not pessimistic, you can repair the current decline in the situation of human rights if there is a strong will to do so.

We have arrived at the beginning of the millennium of the advanced degrees of freedom and transparency and the rule of law, and that trend earn Bahrain international presence and reputation in all parts of the world ... But there are abuses that later occurred must be corrected back to Bahrain in the legal tractor with the ambitious project initiated by the political openness and most notably the move away from practices of the past ... I am confident that both the State and society do not want to send a new torture.




Mohammed Haidar
Bahraini newspaper Al Wasat - No. 2996 - Friday November 19, 2010, 13 Dhu al-Hijjah 1431 H