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.
29 June 2020 – Last Friday Cross-party MPs wrote to Dominic Raab, UK Foreign Secretary, urging him to call for the release of arbitrarily imprisoned human rights activists from three G... Read more
26 June 2020 – Today, over 100 people joined BIRD and Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain for a virtual event marking International Day in Support for the Victims of... Read more
26 June 2020 – On 26th June, the United Nations will observe International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, raising awareness about the continued scourge of torture throughout the... Read more
15 June 2020 – This morning, Bahrain’s Court of Cassation, the country’s highest appeals court, upheld the death sentence against Zuhair Ibrahim Jasim Abdullah, a 40-year old former re... Read more
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
