SALAM: Systematic torture to extract confessions is a fact in Bahrain

SALAM: Systematic torture to extract confessions is a fact in Bahrain

Bahrain SALAM for Human Rights wrote to the high ranks in the British Government and British Parliament concerning Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Senior Minister at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s remarks on 27th March about toture in Bahrain.

Barones  Warsi responding to a question raised in the House of Lords by Baroness Jennifer Tonge about torture in Bahrain argued that: “the UK has not received any specific evidence of the use of torture to extract confessions [in Bahrain].” (Ref:http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201314/ldhansrd/text/140327w0001.htm#wa_st_6).

SALAM has expressed its utmost distress and disappointment at Baroness Warsi’s provoking remarks and explained that: “It was a shock to us and to the victims of torture whom are depending on democratic governments and human rights promoters like the UK Government to help them.”

 SALAM explained that Warsi’s remarks were the most outrageous statements that contradicted with the the findings of the lately published enquiry by the UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee that had investigated the relations between the UK, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

SALAM said:” Furthermore, even the FCO itself was “concerned” about assertions of torture in Bahrain, according to its 2012 report”. It added that “Bahraini victims of torture in the UK have been angered by these outrageous remarks of a senior British politician and have vowed to present irrefutable evidence”.

The fact is Baroness Warsi’s remarks contradicted the overwhelming and irrefutable evidence of on-going systematic torture practised by the Bahraini government. Not only are there allegations by those who have faced Bahrain’s judicial system, but numerous promiment international human rights organisations have documented evidences of torture to extract confessions, including the Redress, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. (Ref:http://www.redress.org/downloads/publications/Fundamentalreform.pdf,http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/bahrain-halt-detention-abuse-and-torture-children-2013-12-13, andhttp://www.hrw.org/news/2013/05/14/bahrain-detained-activists-allege-torture).

Furthermore, the remarks were reprehensible to overlook the report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), commissioned by the King of Bahrain, which highlighted 559 affirmations of torture, and documented details of several cases of individuals who confessed to crimes they did not commit under torture. The inquiry concluded that there were five deaths due to police torture while other cases of torture did not lead to deaths.

It is also extremely disgraceful to neglect Bahrain’s dreadful torture record while the country has declined two proposed visits by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

SALAM stressed that it fears that the remarks will serve as a green-light for torture to continue with impunity, hence it believes the British government should take serious measures to repair the damage made by Wrsi’s statement to the victims, and moreover change the UK Government’s stance against the Bahrain Government’s crackdown upon the Bahrain people’s prodemocracy movement and human rights abuses.

SALAM concluded that it hopes that the British Government and the concerned parliamentarians shall takes measures to get the UK Government retract these regretful remarks and make clear the advice it is offering to the Bahraini authorities is towards “the best practice on torture prevention measures”.