Bahrain has sentenced 13 inmates to an additional three years in prison over a 2021 sit-in that prison authorities say was violent.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Bahrain has sentenced 13 inmates to an additional three years in prison over a 2021 sit-in at a detention center that prison authorities say was an act of violence.
The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy said on Wednesday that the convictions issued a day earlier resulted from a mass trial of 65 defendants, while the rest were acquitted. It alleged “serious due process violations, including the right to be present at trial and to have access to an attorney.”
It also released first-hand testimony from prosecutors in which prisoners said they were hit with metal objects and tear gas canisters.
Bahrain’s prison authorities have denied the allegations, saying prisoners’ legal rights are guaranteed and allegations of abuse will be thoroughly investigated. It was announced that inmates participating in the sit-in attacked and injured a guard and caused damage to public property.
Bahrain began a harsh crackdown on dissent in 2011 in response to large-scale protests calling for the overthrow of the monarchy. The small island nation in the Persian Gulf has a Shiite majority but is ruled by a Sunni monarchy closely allied with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which helped quell the rebellion.
In April 2021, dozens of inmates housed at the Jaw Rehabilitation and Reform Center staged a sit-in following the death of an inmate due to lack of access to medical care. The Bahrain Institute said special forces and police officers used “excessive force” against prisoners and tortured many prisoners. Some were said to have been quarantined for up to 36 days.
“This mass trial illustrates the core problem of Bahrain’s corrupt judicial system. Prisoners of state violence and victims of torture are convicted while torturers avoid any responsibility,” the study said. Saeed Ahmed Alwadai, Director of Rights Advocacy, said in a statement.
Bahrain’s General Directorate of Reform and Rehabilitation denied that the sit-in was peaceful, calling it a “premeditated violent attempt by a small but well-organized group of prisoners to disrupt the operations of the facility.” did. Prisoners said they used “violent means” to block hallways and disrupt services.
In a statement, the facility said: “Facility staff will take all reasonable steps necessary to protect staff and inmates and ensure the continued provision of critical services such as medical care to inmates, consistent with prison policy. ” he said.
Inmates at the same facility recently went on a month-long hunger strike to protest their conditions. They called off their strike earlier this month after prison authorities promised to limit isolation, expand visitor rights, extend daylight hours and improve medical care.
Bahrain is a close ally of the West and is home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet. It is also one of four Arab countries that normalized diplomatic relations with Israel under the so-called Abraham Accords negotiated by the Trump administration in 2020.