Amnesty International: Continued Human Rights Violations in Bahrain

Amnesty International has reported on the ongoing torture and human rights violations in Bahrain. In a report released on Monday, the international human rights organization identified "serious shortcomings" in the work of two British-supported monitoring bodies established to address human rights issues in Bahrain. Ariel Plotskin, the Amnesty International official responsible for the Bahrain report, discusses the shortcomings of the Ministry of Interior's Inspector's Office and the Special Investigations Unit of the Public Prosecutor's Office in Bahrain in an interview with Radio Farda. These two agencies were formed following the 2011 uprising in Bahrain to address allegations of human rights violations and are funded by Britain. Ariel Plotskin stated that Amnesty International has found that a large majority of victims are still awaiting trial five years after the Bahrain uprising, and the establishment of human rights offices has not been sufficient. The Bahraini government uses reform slogans to deflect criticism. Given that a large majority of victims in Bahrain are still awaiting trial, more than 75% of all human rights violation cases have never been addressed in court, and of those officials who were tried, most were acquitted. This can be seen in the case of peaceful protester Zakaria al-Ashari, who died in custody due to beating in April 2011, where five officers were tried but later acquitted, and the torturers of Zakaria al-Ashari remain free. What the international community, the United States, and Britain should do, as they have military bases in Bahrain, is to speak realistically about what is happening in Bahrain. Ariel Plotskin, Amnesty International's Bahrain reporter, was asked if there are statistics on the number of political prisoners, including human rights activists and prisoners of conscience in Bahrain. We do not have an exact number of political prisoners. Other human rights organizations and local organizations do, but we estimate there are a number of prisoners of conscience, those who have been imprisoned solely for peaceful expression. The Bahraini government uses reform slogans, including referring to the established institutions as a successful experience in line with these slogans to deflect criticism, while in reality, they have not delivered justice for the majority of victims. Torture, mistreatment, and imprisonment of peaceful critics, including those imprisoned in 2011, continue in Bahrain. Bahrain is recognized as a strategic island, and the United States and Britain have military bases there. How much can this impact the human rights situation in Bahrain? What the international community, the United States, and Britain should do, as they have naval bases in Bahrain, is to speak realistically about what is happening in Bahrain. That Bahrain's promises regarding reforms still need to be implemented, and Britain, especially as it has vested interests in Bahrain, tells half the truth about the success of these human rights offices to the world. They have provided over six million pounds in training and other assistance to these institutions and have publicly promoted them in a way that does not accurately reflect their work and effectiveness in practice. If we look at the case of Mohammed Ramadan, a security guard at the airport who is now on death row, he stated that during his interrogation in 2014, he was beaten and kicked. Despite warnings from his family and an NGO, human rights offices did not conduct an investigation into his torture allegations for two years. The British government had previously stated that human rights offices had said they did not receive allegations of torture, which was incorrect and misleading. Following the public disclosure of Mohammed Ramadan's case, investigations into his torture began, but two years late, which may complicate matters from a medical evidence perspective, as two years may be considered too late, and in the meantime, he is at risk of execution while the suspects in his torture remain free.