Bahrain Authorities Slammed for Continued Unlawful Practices

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor in the United States has issued its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015, the Report on Bahrain highlighted ongoing mistreatment and forms of torture of detainees over the year. 

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor in the United States has issued its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015, the Report on Bahrain highlighted ongoing mistreatment and forms of torture of detainees over the year. 

Human rights groups reported many citizens hesitated to report police abuse to the Interior Ministry’s Ombudsman Office for fear of retribution. 

“According to local and international human rights groups, security officials sometimes threatened detainees’ family members with reprisals for the detainee’s unwillingness to cooperate during interrogations and refusal to sign confession statements”, the report states.

It said the Special Investigation Unit did not provide information about two cases of severe injuries due to police use of excessive force by the year’s end, although both were injured in January.

The Report also brought attention to the continued restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly and association.