8. Bahrain
Points: 9
Areas of human rights violation as identified by HRW: torture; freedom of expression and fair trial; revocation of nationality; women’s rights; sexual orientation and gender identity.
Torture
For years, HRW has warned about widespread torture in Bahrain prisons. In latest report Blood of People Who Don’t Cooperate, the organization retells accounts of detainees who experienced electric shocks, suspension in painful positions, forced standing, extreme cold, and sexual abuse. In addition, HRW report 2016 says that former detainees and families of inmates held at Jaw Prison claimed that police officers used tear gas and bird shot to suppress riots in prison in 2015. They also claimed that inmates were tortured and humiliated after the unrest. Excessive use of force by police inside and outside prison bars often goes unpunished. Even in few cases when police officers were brought to trial, punishments they received did not match the seriousness of the crime. Two officers who beat to death an inmate received sentence reduction from 10 to two years in prison under an explanation that they had been “preserving the life of detainees, among them the victim.”
Judicial system
Arbitrary imprisonment of civil activists, journalist and political opposition under allegations such as terrorism planning represents the second area of concern. Nabeel Rajab, the rights activist, was arrested in April last year because of comments he made on social networks. Rajab was not the only one who ended up in prison because of public criticism of authorities. The list of detained individual includes opposition political representatives and human rights activists.
