Bahrain, torture leaves invisible wounds in political prisoners and prevents them from resuming a normal life after arrest

ROME – Large-scale government crackdown has intensified since the peaceful 2011 pro-democracy, anti-government uprising [ Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters] Published on 31 January 202331 January 2023 Political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Bahrain suffer from the long-term effects of torture and other violations they endured during their arrests, interrogations and detentions, according to a new report. The non-profit organization Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) said on Monday it had discovered through interviews and medical reports that many victims have been unable to resume normal life due to “invisible wounds” that persist years after the abuse they suffered. In this regard, the report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) – relaunched by Al Jazeera – on the process of marginalization of the opposition in Bahrain, where laws would be conceived and enacted which effectively prevent dissident political formations from running for office or even from being part of the boards of directors of civic organisations.

Violence and the desire to take one’s own life. One of the victims claimed he was arrested while taking a shower and dragged naked to the street, where he was beaten. This and other similar episodes ended up igniting anger as well as a deep widespread fear of being arrested, together with the fear of reprisals for threats by the security forces. A second victim said she was forced to strip naked during interrogation and was sexually assaulted, whipped, insulted and threatened with rape and murder of her children. After the event she said she developed difficulty concentrating or making decisions, slept long hours, felt self-hatred and contemplated suicide.

Denied essential rights for mental health and beyond. According to the ADHRB, mental health services are not available in prisons, where Bahraini authorities practice “extreme forms of medical malpractice”, denying inmates their basic rights. Ill-treatment is not recognized by the authorities, even when a detainee is taken to a psychiatric hospital, the report said. The psychological effect of torture inevitably spills over into the victims’ social lives, as how they interact with their surroundings is largely defined by their mental health. Men were less likely to seek support out of a desire to appear “strong” and “tough,” the ADHRB said, while women who survived sexual assault and rape struggled to resume social and intimate relationships.

Predominantly Shia population and a Sunni government. Also according to the ADHRB, the government of Bahrain should pay reparations for torture victims, “as well as psychological support programs for the families of the victims in order to raise awareness and empower them to create a safe environment for the victims”. Human Rights Watch, which is among other international organizations involved in the analysis and denunciation of what is happening in the Middle Eastern country, criticized Bahrain, a Shiite majority country ruled by a Sunni monarchy, for having spent the last decade “repressing the ‘peaceful opposition’. Last year, HRW said the government was using “political isolation laws” and a number of other tactics to keep the opposition out of public office and other aspects of public life. Since 2017, government authorities have banned independent media organizations in the country and dissolved all major opposition groups. There were no immediate comments from Bahraini authorities on the ADHRB report. Accusations of human rights violations had previously been rejected and all forms of discrimination denied.