Report of Arrests in the Jidhafs and Daih

Bahrain: Four Youths Tortured into Confessing to Attack on Security Vehicles

Four youths (aged 15-23yrs) from the two villages of Jidhafs and Daih were arrested in different places, tortured severely by officers of the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) so that they confess in front of the Public Prosecution (PP) with charges of riots, attacking officers and damaging security vehicles. When families enquired about their sons, the security officers initially told them that these youths were involved in thefts and criminal acts, but when the lawyer investigated into the matter, it appears that the charges are different and politically motivated.

The Detainees:

1) Hasan Radhi Hasan Albaqali (20yrs) resident of Jidhafs was arrested near Jidhafs Secondary High School for Girls on April 2nd, 2008, by a number of State-militia and armed Special Forces who surrounded him after a phone call setting him up. Before then, the security forces approached him through his address but could not find him and advise his family to surrender their son. Hasan did not turn himself and was spending most of his time outside his house. After three days of his arrest, a lawyer and one of his relatives managed to see him and reported his ordeal. He stayed in Khamees Detention Center for few days before transported to Refa\’a Detention Center. He was subjected to all kinds of torture which include beating on sole of the feet, kicking and electrocution in hand wrests. Recently, he was tortured by being left in enclosed space where bugs killing gas is sprayed intensively on his face until he becomes fainted.
Last week, he was forced to confess that he was involved in theft, and was sentenced without the presence of his lawyer for six months imprisonment. His lawyer will appeal, but he is also facing charges of riot, attacking a secret agent in civic clothing and steeling his camera over a month ago in the same area. The secret agent was witnessed taking photographs of the participants and organizers of the peaceful sit-in calling for the release of the December and aftermath detainees. He is now at Jaw prison. Hasan Albaqali, unemployed and suffers from Hernia in the genital, was seen to participate in the peaceful demonstrations calling for the release of the activists and human rights defenders detained since last December.

2) Husain Ali Mansoor Al-Bash (17yrs) was arrested from his residence in Jidhafs at 10pm of the 7th April 2008. He was detained in Khamees Detention Center where his family could only see him for only 15 minutes after four days of his detention. His family reported that they saw signs of electrocution in the inside of the arms near the wrests and in the back. Husain\’s relatives reported that he was severely beaten to confess that he was involved in thefts, but also in riots and the attack on the secret agent in the same area over a month ago and the loss of his camera which he was using to film the participant in a sit-in in Jidhafs. Husain is unemployed and participates in the peaceful demonstrations calling for the release of the detained activists.

3) Saeed Khamees Yousef Marzooq (16yrs) was arrested on April 7th, 2008 from the street through a set-up, was taken Khamees then to Hamad Town detention Centers. His family is not able to visit him, but sources indicated that he was among this group who are facing mixed charges of theft and rioting. Saeed is a student having his father unemployed, suffers from sickle cell disease and there are grieve concerns about his condition considering that he will be forced to confess of charges he did not commit. He is facing the same charges as his previous mates.

4) Ali Abdulla Saad Ahmed (23yrs) turned himself in to Khamees Detention Center on April 8th, 2008 after the Security forces ransacked his house and terrified his family in Daih village. He was not in then, a summon was left to the family, upon which he decided to go by himself. As per sources, torturers from the CIB come over to the detention center to carry out the interrogation. After a week of detention, his family was able to see him in Budaya\’a Detention Center. While suffering from pain in the chest, Ali was subjected to beatings using Falaqah, electrocution, and use of bug killer gas to give his the suffocation feeling and faint. The torture was induced on Ali to make him confess that he was involved in the attack on the secret agent in Jidhafs and steeling his camera as well as involvement in the allegedly missing weapon during the blazing the patrol car on last December 20th in the same area after the condolence ceremony of Ali Makki Jassem. Ali suffers from azma, and works in construction company.

Background:

Families of December detainees and their supporters have been carrying their daily evening protest near Al-Hashimi Shopping Mall in Jidhafs, since the arrest of their sons. In the last week of February and while having their sit-in, one of the protester noticed a masked man in the shopping mall, taking pictures, so everybody hurried towards him on the initial assumption that he is a secret agent. He was surrounded by a group of youths, some of them were also face-masked, for security purposes. He initially denied that he is a secret agent, but when asked to show his identification, he refused. He was threatened to be harmed so he confessed, and showed his ID. He was beaten by the crowed and his camera was taken. Nobody knows who is who in that angry crowd of mainly youths.

Appeals and Demands:

HAQ is concerned about exposing the above young men to all forms of torture to force them to confess of what they deny to have done. HAQ Demands exposing these detainees to a medical coroner and provide them with the proper and needed medication.
Exposing detainees to torture is in violation to Article 7 of the ICCPR which states that \\\”No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In particular, no one shall be subjected without his free consent to medical or scientific experimentation\\\”.

Passing prosecution without provision of proper legal aid is in a breach of Article 14 of the ICCPR which was conceded by Bahrain in 2006. HAQ calls for negation of the prosecution made against Hasan Radhi Hasan Albaqali without the presence of his lawyer.

Time: 10am local time (7 am GMT)
24 April 2008

For more information, please contact:
Dr Abduljalil Alsingace- Human Rights Bureau, HAQ Movement-Bahrain.
Tel: 973- 3966-8179, Email: asingace@gmail.com