Detained human rights activists allege mistreatment at opening of trial

Reporters Without Borders is deeply concerned about the conditions in which Bahrain’s detained human rights activists are being held, and calls for an end to their mistreatment and for their families and lawyers to have access to them. Independent experts should also be allowed access in order to evaluate their state of health and the mistreatment allegations. The trial of a total of 25 human rights activists and opposition supporters who were arrested in August and September began yesterday before a criminal court in Manama. At the end of the hearing, presiding judge Ibrahim al-Zayed ordered an adjournment until 11 November. All the defendants, including bloggers Abdeljalil Al-Singace and Ali Abdulemam, complained of being denied access to their families and lawyers and being kept in solitary confinement. International observers said only one relative of each defendant was allowed to attend the trial. Defendants also told the court they had been tortured. They said they had been beaten, given electric shocks and deprived of sleep since their arrests. One, Jaffar Al-Hessabi, said he had sexually abused. His lawyer, Mohamed al-Tajer, told the BBC he had also been suspended by his arms, and then by his legs. Nazar Sadeq al Baharna, the minister responsible for human affairs, denied the allegations, insisting that Bahrain had a zero tolerance policy towards torture. The government issued a statement saying an expert examined 13 of the 25 defendants and found so sign of mistreatment other than “light marks” on the wrists caused by handcuffs. Al-Singace told the court he had been subjected to “mental and physical” torture. He also said he had been denied the medical care he needed and had been given no medicine although his health was deteriorating rapidly. The defendants are being prosecuted on more than ten different charges including terrorism and spreading false information but the original charge of plotting to overthrow the government has been dropped. All the defendants pleaded not guilty. A large number of riot police, backed by helicopters, were deployed around the court building to prevent any demonstration in support of the defendants.