Campaigners highlight plight of detainees, mostly arrested in clampdown on Shia groups before next month’s elections
Britain has been urged to intervene with the government of Bahrain to demand an end to the alleged torture of 23 “terrorists” – one of them a UK citizen – who insist they are a legitimate opposition movement in the western-backed Gulf state.
Campaigners highlight plight of detainees, mostly arrested in clampdown on Shia groups before next month’s elections
Britain has been urged to intervene with the government of Bahrain to demand an end to the alleged torture of 23 “terrorists” – one of them a UK citizen – who insist they are a legitimate opposition movement in the western-backed Gulf state.
Bahraini activists and international human rights organisations have joined forces to highlight the plight of the detainees, most of whom were arrested as part of a clampdown on Shia opposition groups in the runup to next month’s elections.
Bahrain’s ruling Khalifa dynasty is Sunni Muslim but 70% of the population are Shia who complain of discrimination. Street clashes are common between security forces and Shia protesters who burn tyres and throw petrol bombs.
The men are charged with “forming an illegal organisation” aiming to “overthrow the government and dissolve the constitution”, fundraising and planning terrorist acts, and other offences under Bahrain’s anti-terrorism law.
Up to 250 people are believed to have been arrested.
“The regime has been planning this attack for years,” Saeed al-Shehabi, of the Bahrain Freedom Movement, told a press conference at the House of Lords today. “But they can’t produce one gun or any explosives. So where is the terrorism? Burning a tyre is not terrorism.” Shehabi has been charged in absentia.
Ja’afar al-Hasabi, a dual Bahraini-British national, had been hung by his wrists and feet, blindfolded, beaten and deprived of sleep while listening to the cries of others being tortured, Shehabi said. “Ja’afar al-Hasabi is a British national. He deserves to be protected by the state.”
Abdul-Jalil al-Singace, the leader of the opposition group al-Haq, was arrested last month when he returned to Bahrain from the UK. Singace is accused of “leading sabotage cells … contacting foreign organisations and providing them with false information about the kingdom”.
He has also allegedly been beaten and tortured and has had no access to a lawyer, his family or to an independent doctor. Singace, who is disabled, is said to have been forced to crawl after his crutches and wheelchair were taken away in prison.
The Foreign Office said it could not verify that Hasabi had been tortured but it was seeking consular access and urging the Bahraini authorities to respect due process and follow the rule of law.
Strikingly, the Bahraini government has not accused the detainees of being supported by Iran, which is often blamed for backing opposition groups in Gulf states. It says allegations of mistreatment and torture are politically motivated. Maryam al-Khawaja of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights said: “Human rights activists in Bahrain live in constant fear. People are awake at three in the morning waiting to see if they will be picked up. People get into their cars and lock the doors so they can make a last phone call before being arrested.”
The Manama government says allegations of mistreatment and torture are politically motivated.
On Sunday King Hamad bin Khalifa used a speech marking the end of Ramadan to justify the arrests, saying they were needed to stop the civil unrest that had plagued the country in recent years. “They are spreading corruption through acts of violence, rioting and terrorism and the rules of sharia law are clear in forbidding that,” he said.
Human Rights Watch has protested that the recent arrests “appear to be linked to public criticisms of policies of [the Bahraini] government rather than acts of violence or incitement to violence”.