16 December 2013
Children are being routinely detained,
ill-treated and tortured in Bahrain, said Amnesty
International in a new briefing published today.
Scores
of children arrested on suspicion of participating in
anti-government protests – including some as young as 13
– were blindfolded, beaten and tortured in detention over
the past two years the organization said. Others were
threatened with rape in order to extract forced
confessions.
“By rounding up suspected under-age
offenders and locking them up, Bahrain’s authorities are
displaying an appalling disregard for its international
human rights obligations,” said Said Boumedouha, Deputy
Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North
Africa Programme.
“Nearly three years after
Bahrain’s security forces used excessive force to crush
anti-government protests, they now appear to be targeting
children in an intensified crackdown. All children under the
age of 18 who have not committed any recognizable offence
must be released immediately. Any allegations of torture and
ill-treatment must be thoroughly investigated.”
According to reports received by Amnesty International
there are at least 110 children aged between 16 and 18 held
at the Dry Dock Prison, an adult facility in al Muharraq
Island, pending investigation or trial.
Most children
have been arrested on suspicion of participating in
“illegal gatherings”, rioting, burning tyres or throwing
Molotov cocktails at police. Many were seized during raids
while they were playing at home and even at a local swimming
pool. Several were denied access to their families for
extended periods and interrogated without their
lawyers.
Children under the age of 15 who have been
sentenced are held at a Juvenile Centre in Manama under
Ministry of Interior control. During the day they are
attended by social workers but at night, when most abuses
tend to take place, Bahraini police take over. At the age
of 15 those held in the Juvenile Centre are transferred to
adult prisons such as Jaw Prison in southeast Bahrain to
serve the remaining prison sentences.
Bahrain is a
signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
which defines a child as anyone below the age of 18. The
convention also explicitly prohibits the torture or other
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
The
organization is also urging the government of Bahrain to
review legislation including the Juvenile law and the Penal
code to ensure that they are fully compatible with
international standards.
In August, Bahrain’s juvenile
law was amended to indicate that the parents of anyone under
the age of 15 who takes part in a demonstration, public
gathering or sit-in would receive a written warning from the
Ministry of Interior. If a second offence is recorded within
six months the child’s father could face jail, a fine or
both.
“Bahrain’s government purports to respect human
rights yet it is brazenly flouting international obligations
on a routine basis by resorting to extreme measures such as
imposing harsh prison sentences on children,” said Said
Boumedouha.
Amnesty International is calling on Bahrain
to consider alternative penalties for children who have
committed internationally recognizable criminal offences
such as probation and community service.
Background:
Since Bahrain’s popular uprising began
on 14 February 2011, gross human rights violations have been
committed by security forces who used excessive force
against protesters killing dozens. At least 2,000 people are
languishing in jail. Many trials fell short of fair trial
standards. Amnesty International has adopted 20 of those
jailed as prisoners of conscience. Widespread impunity for
abuses carried out by the security forces continues to be a
problem.
AI Index:
PRE01/656/2013
ENDS