(Beirut) – Bahrain should take urgent steps to address the grievances of hundreds of prisoners currently on hunger strike and ensure that prisoners are treated humanely as required by international law. Human Rights Watch said today. Authorities have also identified prominent human rights defenders Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and Abduljalil al-Sin’eis, among others, who have been sentenced to prison for simply exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Those who are present should be released.
More than 400 inmates at Jau Prison, the country’s largest prison, began a hunger strike on August 7, 2023, protesting poor detention conditions and denial of medical care. According to the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, more than 800 people were on hunger strike as of August 30.
Nik Jafarnia, Bahrain and Yemen researcher at Human Rights Watch, said, “Many of the prisoners on hunger strike at Jaw Prison were detained after grossly unfair trials and faced years of abuse while in custody.” I’ve experienced it,” he said. “Bahraini authorities must ensure humane detention conditions and immediately release those who are unjustly imprisoned.”
Many of the hunger strikers have been unfairly detained after trials plagued by rights violations. On August 21, a number of prisoners told the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy that prison authorities continue to treat them inhumanely and deny them access to proper medical care.
Prisoners in Jau are forced to spend up to 23 hours a day in solitary confinement in some cases. Prisoners will no longer have access to long-term solitary confinement outside their cells in the prison yard for more than an hour each day, group prayers in the prison mosque, family visits without glass walls, and access to essential medical care. I’m asking you to. Prisoners, including al-Khawaja and al-Singas, said prison authorities were refusing to refer them to specialists and denying them access to essential medicines.
Mr. Al Khawaja is a co-founder of the Gulf Human Rights Center and the Bahrain Human Rights Center and is a Danish citizen. He was arrested in 2011 for his involvement in pro-democracy protests in Bahrain, and was sentenced to life in prison after a grossly unfair trial, and is currently serving his sentence.
His daughter Maryam al-Khawaja told Human Rights Watch that he has been on a water-only hunger strike since August 9 to demand access to specialized medical care. During his 12 years in prison, Al-Khawaja was subjected to severe physical, sexual and psychological torture. Bahraini authorities have repeatedly denied essential medical care to Al Khawaja, even though he has a life-threatening heart condition.
According to his daughter, his health has deteriorated significantly in recent months. An independent doctor familiar with al-Khawaja’s case and consulting with his family said that given his deteriorating condition, chronic health problems and the possibility of sudden, fatal cardiac arrest, He said he may not survive more than a day.
Al Singas, a Bahraini academic and human rights activist, is also serving a life sentence for his role in the 2011 protests. He has been on a hunger strike since July 8, 2021, refusing to eat solid food to protest the confiscation of his handwritten reading notes by prison authorities. Al Singas suffers from poor eyesight, arthritis in his shoulder joints, tremors and prostate problems. Dr. Al Singas has been kept in solitary confinement and denied proper medical treatment.
Bahrain’s Independent Ombudsman’s Office claimed on August 10 that it had launched an investigation into the circumstances that led to the hunger strike. The Ombudsman’s Office said the prisoners in isolation had committed “serious violations” and required “administrative action for reclassification.”
On August 28, the Home Office issued a statement saying it was “under discussion” about the provision of health and education services, a review of visiting regulations, extending outdoor hours in prison gardens, and reviewing call charges.
Bahraini authorities have an obligation under international law to treat all detainees humanely. Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights requires authorities to treat all prisoners humanely and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person. The United Nations Minimum Standard Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Mandela Rules) require prisons to make specialized treatment available or to refer prisoners in need of specialized treatment to relevant facilities. Masu.
“The international community, especially countries with close ties to Bahrain, should use its diplomatic position to pressure Bahraini authorities to stop their abuse of prisoners,” Jafarnia said. “Other countries should not remain silent while Bahrain’s more than 800 prisoners, many of whom should not have been in prison in the first place, are putting their lives at risk.”