Instances of torture continue to be reported in Bahrain, irrespective of the government’s proclaimed efforts to increase institutional accountability and transparency. Newly established institutions such as the Office of the Ombudsman frequently fail to investigate these allegations. Particularly those charged with anti-government activities have been vulnerable to ill-treatment from police officers. The Bahrain Independent Commission Inquiry (BICI) describes in its 2011 report a “culture of complete impunity” that lacks both accountability and transparency.
Especially in Dry Dock and in Jau Prison, inmates report instances of abuse, ill-treatment and torture with dramatic frequency.
TIMELINE OF THE CRISIS: 5 March: 62 year old Bahraini Hasan Mansoor Hasan becomes first Bahraini to die in Iran since the crisis began. 6 March: King Hamed instructs Shi’a Jafari Endowments... Read more
19 March 2020 – At least five of the more than 1500 Bahrainis thought to be trapped in Iran have died since the beginning of March, as Bahrain’s government faces rising criticism for r... Read more
10 March 2020 – Political prisoner Ali AlHajee wrote a letter marking the mass beatings of prisoners that took place on this day five years ago in Jau Prison, recounting the three mont... Read more
5 March 2020 – Hajer Mansoor, mother-in-law of London-based human rights defender Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, was released from prison in Bahrain today after completing a three year sentence... Read more
20 February 2020 – Today, The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) launched its 2020 Annual Report to mark the ninth anniversary of the Bahraini Uprising. BIRD’s inaugur... Read more
17 February 2020 – Last week, the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) organized an event at Parliament to commemorate the 9th anniversary of the Bahraini revolution. The... Read more
17 February 2020 – 8 UN Special Rapporteurs have expressed “grave concern” about the mistreatment of political prisoners Hajer Mansoor, Medina Ali and Nabeel Rajab in Bahraini detentio... Read more
13 February 2020- Yesterday, Lord Paul Scriven and Peers criticised the inefficacy and lack of transparency surrounding the UK government’s technical assistance program to Bahrain in oral qu... Read more
12 February 2020 – The University of Huddersfield is facing heavy criticism after rights groups received testimonies from 10 Bahraini political prisoners alleging they were tortured at... Read more
3 February 2020 – Today, hundreds of Bahrainis took to the streets to mourn Sayed Kadhem Abbas, a 24 year old former political prisoner who tragically died from terminal cancer followi... Read more
