URGENT ACTION
Child tortured in detention in Bahrain
Bahraini boy aged 14, Ali Hatem Ali Salman, was arrested on 26 August 2013 and reportedly tortured and otherwise ill-treated during interrogation to “confess” to rioting. On 3 September the Juvenile Prosecution extended his detention for another week.
Ali Hatem Ali Salman was arrested in a coffee shop in the neighbourhood of Sanad, south of Bahrain’s capital, Manama. Prior to the arrest a police patrol vehicle in the area was set alight with a Molotov cocktail. Ali Hatem Ali Salman was playing a board game with friends when police officers arrested him and five others. He was taken to a police station blindfolded. He reported to his family and lawyer that during his interrogation he was beaten and electrocuted in order to make him “confess” to rioting. He was brought before the Juvenile Prosecutor on 27 August where Ali Hatem Ali Salman denied the accusations and told of his torture and ill-treatment. The Juvenile Prosecutor ordered his detention for seven days pending an investigation. He was transferred to a Juvenile detention facility at 4am on 28 August.
On 3 September, in the presence of Ali Hatem Ali Salman’s father and lawyer, the Juvenile Prosecutor extended his detention order for a further seven days. Ali Hatem Ali Salman is facing charges of “illegal gathering” and “rioting”.
Ali Hatem Ali Salman’s family was allowed to visit him on 5 September for the first time.
Please write immediately in Arabic or English or your own language:
Urging the Bahraini authorities to protect him from torture and other ill-treatment;
Urging them to ensure that Ali Hatem Ali Salman is treated in accordance with the international standards of juvenile justice;
Calling for an impartial and independent investigation into the reported torture and other ill-treatment of Ali Hatem Ali Salman and bring those found responsible to account.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 18 OCTOBER 2013 TO:
King
Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa
Office of His Majesty the King
P.O. Box 555
Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama,
Bahrain
Fax: +973 1766 4587
Salutation: Your Majesty
Minister of Interior
Shaikh Rashid bin ‘Abdullah Al Khalifa
Ministry of Interior
P.O. Box 13, al-Manama,
Bahrain
Fax: +973 1723 2661
Twitter: @moi_Bahrain
Salutation: Your Excellency
And copies to:
Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs
Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa
Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs
P. O. Box 450, al-Manama,
Bahrain
Fax: +973 1753 1284
Email: minister@justice.gov.bh
Twitter: @Khaled_Bin_Ali
Salutation: Your Excellency
Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country.
Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.
URGENT ACTION
Child tortured in detention in Bahrain
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
In response to a recent increase in violence, and in anticipation of planned large demonstrations by the opposition, Bahrain’s parliament held an extraordinary session on 28 July at which it submitted 22 recommendations to the King, Shaikh Hamad Bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa; the recommendations toughen punishments laid out in the 2006 anti-terrorism law. The King welcomed the recommendations the next day, and ordered the Prime Minister to ensure that they were urgently implemented by the government. Bahrain’s Constitution (Article 38) gives the King the power to issue decrees that have the force of law when parliament is in recess. In these circumstances the government prepares the draft amendments and the King ratifies them.
The King issued two emergency decrees on 6 August. One amends the 1973 Law on Public Gatherings and Demonstrations, to ban demonstrations, sit-ins, marches and public gatherings in the capital, Manama. The 1976 juvenile law was also amended and now stipulates that if anyone under 16 years of age takes part in a demonstration, public gathering or sit-in, his or her parents will be warned in writing by the Ministry of Interior. If six months after the warning the child is found in a new demonstration his or her father could face jail, a fine or both. Amnesty International fears that these draconian measures will be used, as was the case on 14 August to crack down on anti-government protests.
Anti-government protests were organized in many Shi’a villages in Bahrain on 14 August. Protesters were planning to march to Manama but security forces prevented them by using tear gas and, in some instances, by erecting barbed wire around the villages. At least 18 people were arrested. The Tamarrud (rebellion) movement, made up of youth groups, chose 14 August to organize anti-government protests to denounce government repression and call for genuine political reforms. Mainstream opposition associations were also planning a large anti-government rally, but it was cancelled due to the heavy security forces presence in Manama.
Name: Ali Hatem Ali Salman
Gender m/f: m
UA: 239/13 Index: MDE 11/036/2013 Issue Date: 06 September 2013