Bahrain: Urgent Appeal – Provide Medical Attention to Detained Political Prisoner Kumail Al-Manami

Photo: Signs of torture on Kumail’s face and hands
28 FEB 2013

Urgent Appeal

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights is gravely concerned over the well-being of the political detainee Kumail Al-Manami whose life is at risk and health is deteriorating. Kumail Al-Manami was sentenced to life in prison in 2010 based on confessions taken under torture. At present, he has been on a hunger strike for more than a week in protest of being denied medical care. Kumail has become infected with a virus which has recently affected many others in Jaw prison; the illness has struck him particularly hard, which puts his life at even a greater risk.

Photo: Signs of torture on Kumail’s face and hands
28 FEB 2013

Urgent Appeal

In March 2009, Kumail Al-Manami and six other men from Ma’ameer village were violently arrested following the death of a Pakistani national, whose car was burned during a confrontation with security forces. In March 2010, they were sentenced to life in prison, despite the fact that confessions were extracted under torture, lawyers presented medical reports and photo evidence of the torture and requested an independent team to examine the defendant. This request was denied by the judge. The group was tried and sentenced under the terrorism law, a law that is internationally condemned. For reference, see this video starting at the 3:20 mark – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSEeWRKvNGA.

The arrested and detained in this case including Kumail were all subjected to severe forms of torture. The BCHR documented in 2010 that: “beating on all parts of the body with solid tools, at a time when the defendants were blindfolded and handcuffed, spraying burning material on the face, attempting to sexually abuse them or threatening to sexually abuse the wife, sister or mother, or by inserting iron pipes in their hind to fill their stomachs with water if they do not state the accusations they were charged with, and throwing one of them off the stairs while being handcuffed, and their relatives were prevented from visiting them for a period that exceeded the first eight months.” (See: http://bahrainrights.hopto.org/en/node/3175 )

Kumail, 28 years old, was arrested on 31 March 2009 from Al Sanabis Club. He is the primary defendant in the case which made him suffer from severer torture when he was arrested and detained back in 2009. Even after almost four years in prison the ill-treatment is ongoing. Due to the severity of the torture, he suffered a nervous breakdown, had an Epileptic attack, and was transferred to the psychiatric hospital. Kumail was taken to the psychiatric hospital several times, and on each occasion he would be taken back to prison before finishing his treatment. His torture was so severe that other prisoners said that they did not recognize him when he returned because of the bruises and injuries on his face.

Photo: Kumail’s daughter holding a picture of her father

Al-Manami has gone on several hunger strikes since his arrest, the latest was in June 2012, in protest of being kept in solitary confinement since 5 July 2010, according to his family. (See: http://www.alwasatnews.com/3579/news/read/677356/1.html ) Today, he is on another hunger strike which started on 15 February 2013 for not giving one of his sisters visitations’ rights and being deprived from medical treatment and his medications. He is suffering from severe pain in his back and legs due to torture. Many political prisoners are not getting proper medical care, Mohammed Al-Mushaima died in custody due to the lack of adequate of medical care. (See: www.bahrainrights.org/en/node/5449 ) On 22 February 2013, Kumail said in a phone call that he has been infected by a virus that has affected many others in Jaw prison and that he is very sick, his temperature is at 40 degrees centigrade. Kumail’s health is seriously deteriorating, according to his family.

Kumail Al-Manami, like many political prisoners in Bahrain , is denied Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners, “All prisoners shall be treated with the respect due to their inherent dignity and value as human beings”, “There shall be no discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status”, and “Prisoners shall have access to the health services available in the country without discrimination on the grounds of their legal situation.” (See: http://bahrainrights.hopto.org/en/node/5643 and http://bahrainrights.hopto.org/en/node/5638)

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights urgently appeals to the international community and calls for immediate actions on behalf of the Bahraini authorities and the international community to:

– To immediately improve the detention conditions and provide the necessary treatment to Kumail Al-Manami and all other prisoners in need of medical care in the prisons of Bahrain.

– For the authorities in Bahrain to abide by the international conventions which they have ratified, especially concerning the rights of prisoners to receive full medical care.

– End the practice of torture in the prisons of Bahrain.

– Hold accountable those involved in torture, and bring them to a fair and independent judiciary.

– Grant a fair re-trial to Kumail Al Manami and all six convicted in the same case, taking into account torture allegations and confessions taken under torture.

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