http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Bahrain/10066271.html
09/09/2006 10:01 PM | By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
Manama: US military has aggravated detention conditions following the alleged suicide of three inmates at the Guantanamo Bay prison, the lawyer of three Bahraini prisoners has said.
“During our recent trip to Guantanamo, Eisa Al Murbati said that since the deaths of three detainees in June, the military has been very harsh with the prisoners,” Joshua Bryan-Colangelo said yesterday.
“He reported that Immediate Response Teams (IRTs), composed of five soldiers in riot gear, are called to subdue detainees for even the slightest perceived violation of the rules. He also said that the rules change often and without notice,” according to the statement sent by the New-York based lawyer and relayed to Gulf News by rights activist Nabeel Rajab.
http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Bahrain/10066271.html
09/09/2006 10:01 PM | By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
Manama: US military has aggravated detention conditions following the alleged suicide of three inmates at the Guantanamo Bay prison, the lawyer of three Bahraini prisoners has said.
“During our recent trip to Guantanamo, Eisa Al Murbati said that since the deaths of three detainees in June, the military has been very harsh with the prisoners,” Joshua Bryan-Colangelo said yesterday.
“He reported that Immediate Response Teams (IRTs), composed of five soldiers in riot gear, are called to subdue detainees for even the slightest perceived violation of the rules. He also said that the rules change often and without notice,” according to the statement sent by the New-York based lawyer and relayed to Gulf News by rights activist Nabeel Rajab.
“For example, one day, Al Murbati saw a fellow detainee praying. During the prayer, the detainee was told by a guard to move the sleeping mat in the detainee’s cell. The detainee did not respond immediately because he was praying. For this reason, an IRT soldier took the detainee to isolation cell,” the lawyer said.
On another occasion, a detainee who did not speak English, touched a soldier’s arm and pointed at shackles that the guard had put on him to show that the shackles were too tight. The guard said that the detainee had tried to attack him and the detainee was sent to isolation.
“Al Murbati reported seeing a detainee being grabbed by an IRT member on a part of the detainee’s arm where there was a bandage. The detainee pulled his arm back in pain. As a result the detainee was taken to isolation.”
Bryan-Colangelo said that Al Murbati himself narrowly escaped action from an IRT soldier.
“One day, while he was praying, he was told by a guard to give his sheet back. When he did not respond, the guard said, ‘I know you’re praying, but give me the sheet.’ When he continued to pray, the guard threatened to call an IRT member,” the lawyer said.