13 April 2015, London – The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights have prepared and submitted a report to the UN Committee Against Torture (CAT) prior to its current session in determining a List of Issues Prior to Reporting (LOIPR) by the Government of Bahrain.
The report documents the increase in the use of torture in Bahrain post 2011, and contains information for CAT to determine Bahrain’s LOIPR. This report is part of the optional reporting mechanism introduced by CAT, whereby CAT submits to state parties a list of issues prior to reporting, and the State party is required to respond to this list of issues in its subsequent report. CAT submitted its previous List of Issues Prior to Reporting to Bahrain in 2010, and is due to submit a new one in its upcoming 54th session this year.
Bahrain acceded to the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment on 6 March 1998. In accordance with its obligations under this Convention, Bahrain’s initial State Party Report was due in 1999. However, the Government of Bahrain has only submitted one report in 2004. Bahrain’s first treaty Periodic Report was due in 2007, but no Periodic Report has been submitted since.
Since the uprising in 2011 in Bahrain, there have been numerous allegations of torture and custodial deaths by officials, particularly in detention centers across the country. Despite promises by the government to investigate these allegations, reform has only been superficial and impunity for torture is common. Bahrain has also repeatedly refused requests by the Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez, to visit the Kingdom.
The report is available on the CAT website here.