BAHRAIN: Child abuse continues without accountability

Submitted by crinadmin on Mon, 21/11/2011 - 08:37

Summary: On the eve of the Universal Children's Day, Bahrain buries another child killed by the security forces.

[19 November 2011] - Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) expresses its deep concern for the continued assaults against children under the age of 18 at the hands of the security forces of Bahrain, as part of the brutal campaign against pro-democracy protesters and continuous crackdown on villages. Since the review of Bahrain's record of children's rights by the Committee on the Rights of the Child[1] in June 2011, the child death toll has risen to five, while hundreds of other children have been subjected to: excessive force by policemen, arbitrary arrests, torture while under detention, prosecution and sentencing by military courts. Children's trials are still ongoing at criminal courts for charges related to freedom of expression and assembly.

The Bahraini government is a signatory of the Convention on the Rights of the Child; however, while its Ministry of Human Rights prides itself on abiding by the rules and regulations of the convention, children's basic rights in Bahrain are being brutally violated by security forces without any actions from the authorities to end these violations.

Five children killed by illegal weaponry, suffocation of tear gas, being shot at face and run over

Sayed Ahmed Shams is a 15-year-old, born in September 1996. He is from Saar village and is a student in Al Duraz Secondary school. Sayed Ahmed was shot in the face by security forces which resulted to his death on 30 March 2011 while on his way to the American Mission hospital in Saar. He was attacked while playing outside his house[2].

The youngest to die is a 6-year-old boy named Mohammed Farhan. On Friday April 29, police fired tear gas into his house in Sitra. The young boy suffocated and was taken to Salmaniya Hospital to be submitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). He passed away the following day.

Four months later, on August 31, which was the first day of Eid, a Muslim holiday, a 14 year old, Ali Al Shaikh, was killed by riot police after being hit by a tear gas canister fired from close range. Many international and local human rights organisations condoned Ali’s murder. Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said “[t]he police have a duty to uphold the law, but it is completely unacceptable to throw heavy gas canisters at children. The authorities must investigate ‘Ali Jawad Ahmad al-Shaikh’s death immediately in a thorough, independent and impartial manner, and those responsible must be held to account”[3]. The ministry of interior claimed that Ali was dead before reaching the hospital and denied any police action in the area. However, no further explanation was given.

About a month afterwards on October 6, a 16 year old boy, Ahmed Al Qattan, was killed by a shotgun which is an illegal weapon. Security forces aimed at him at a very close range, causing the pellets to penetrate into his lung resulting to his death. Ahmed was immediately taken to the nearby hospital, Bahrain International Hospital. MOI, in their statement, “attributed the death to injury by birdshot and the report of Bahrain International Hospital reasoned the death to a severe drop in the blood circulation that led to the heart to stop”.[4].

A day before the Universal Children’s Day, 19 November 2011, Ali Yousif Baddah, 16 years, was purposely run over by Bahrain security force while suppressing a peaceful protest in Juffair[5] . MOI confirmed the cause of death[6] . Photos of Ali after being hit are very graphics because of the severity of injuries. Ali’s funeral procession and mourners were attacked by rubber bullets and tear gas.

To date, no one has been held accountable for the death of any of these children. Although an investigation has been conducted, no action taken against the responsible parties in the government.

Trials at criminal and military courts

Regardless of calls to end the trial of children at courts that are not sensitive to their needs, children under the age of 18 have continued to be tried at criminal courts and some have been sentenced by a military court.

Mustafa Abduljalil AlMoqdad, 16, was arrested at dawn on 19 May 2011 after a house raid. He has been accused with others of kidnapping a policeman; he has been tried at the National Safety Court (military court) and was sentenced in October 2011 to 15 years’ imprisonment. He was not allowed access to his family and legal representation until the his first trial on 21 June 2011.

According to a testimony submitted to BCHR, Mustafa was tortured for two weeks after his arrest in the police stations of Qudhaybiya, Noaim and Dry Dock. He was beaten with a plastic cable on the soles of his feet, on his back and all over his body. He was deprived of sleep for three days and was forced to stand for days. His lawyer requested a medical examination at court but it was rejected.

He is a student in the first year of secondary school, with a GPA over 86 per cent. His family has asked for their son to be allowed to take his exams which was denied.

September 23 was declared “self-determination” day, on which protesters planned to go back to the pearl roundabout, the spot of pro-democracy protests that was demolished and is under the control of the military now. One of the gathering points was Bahrain City Center, more than 40 were arrested that day amongst them seven children - they were humiliated, insulted and tortured before taken to detention.

Bayan, 11 years old[8], got arrested that day with her mother and was detained for three days. They have been treated badly. As shown in the photo below, they were handcuffed and thrown on the ground. Lawyer Reem Khalaf said that these detainees have been deprived of food, drink, using the bathroom and praying until the next day of their arrest. They were not allowed to call their families or a lawyer. Some of the children had clear marks on their bodies from beatings when they first were seen. Several of the girls under the age of 18 were tried at the criminal court instead of the juvenile court. On 19 October 2011, they were sentenced to six months imprisonment for “illegal gathering”. Ashwaq Maqabi, 17, is one of those girls sentenced. She has sickle cell disease and due to poor treatment in detention her illness has worsened. She was hospitalised more than once. Although she requested the prison management to take her to Salmaniya Hospital where she would receive proper treatment, she was treated in Bahrain Defence Hospital which is a military hospital and was deprived of proper medical treatment[9] . Four other girls (less than 15 years old) are currently under trial in the same case at the juvenile court.

Aziz Jaffer, 14, was arrested on September 1. He was taken to a horse stable where he was beaten and sexually harassed by security forces who touched his private parts. He was released a few hours later and summoned by the Public Prosecutor on September 16. He was held in detention for a week of interrogation, on charges that included inciting against the regime and the court extended his detention for another week to be released at the end of September.

Many cases have been reported of children getting arrested during home raids, peaceful protests or while playing in their neighborhoods. Children in Bahrain cannot live normal lives like other children around the world because they are at risk of being arrested at any time.

Torture from the time of arrest

“Hit by electric wires and hoses while hanging from the ceiling with his hands tied, removing his toe nails and threatening to use 'white weapons' and shot gun against him” - torture testimony of a 17-year-old boy

More than 90 per cent of the reported cases of arrested children included them being subjected to physical torture. All of the reported cases included children being psychologically abused, cursed at, insulted and humiliated. At least two cases of sexual assault have been reported to BCHR, although numbers are believed to be higher.

On September 22, Hussain Salman, a 15-year-old from Bani Jamra, was arrested and tortured by being beaten violently with a gun on his head and neck. He was released after three and a half hours of torture and beatings.

A family member of Hussain Ali, 15, said that Hussain was arrested during a home raid in Sanabis village. While trying to run away out of fear, he hit a wall and fell unconscious. Riot police dragged him into their bus which caused injuries to his face. He adds that he was then tortured in the bus and the police station afterwards. When his family visited him, they could see bruises on both his eyes. His knees were so swollen he could not bend them and he had swelling in his arm. The police management asked his family for new clothes as his old ones, which he was still wearing, were covered in blood.

On 8 September 2011, Kumail , 16, was out buying dinner when riot police started attacking his village. He quickly hid in a house when he heard shooting. However riot police raided that house and managed to find him hiding on the roof. One of the police officers threw Kumail and his friend from the roof, which gave him a broken nose. They stabbed him with barbeque skewers and kicked him continuously while taking him to the hospital. He was beaten constantly along with other prisoners even after being taken to jail, as he reported to family.

Sixteen-year-old Mohammed from Karzakan was subjected to brutal torture by security forces. He fainted after they hit him with bricks and was taken to the police station where he got kicked and slapped. Mohammed was taken out of the building to be tortured and beaten for protestors to witness. When they transferred him to the prison hospital, his eyes were swollen and bruised and torture marks were visible all over his body. He was deprived of food and drink, including water, leading him to dehydrate.

Mohammed Aqeel is a 17-year-old who has been detained since April 21. According to his family, he has been subjected to severe torture which includes being hit by electric wires and hoses while hanging from the ceiling with his hands tied, removing his toe nails and threatening to use "white weapons" and a shot gun against him. All this was to force Mohammed to confess to a crime he didn't commit. He told his family that the officer Isa Al Majali tortured him and insulted his religious beliefs, and when he realised Mohammed was not going to confess, he took him to what the prison management call "The Black Room". In that room they beat him with electric cables and hoses while hanging him handcuffed. They cursed and humiliated him and the Ahlulbait (Holy Household of the Prophet Mohammad), which hold a holy significance in the Shiaa faith. Mohammed was beaten and tortured continuously for two days at Adliya police station.

Victims of collective punishment

Children in Bahrain are victims of the continuous crackdown on villages and the brutal violence of security forces. BCHR receives weekly reports of children injured and harmed by tear gas, rubber bullets, shotgun pellets and other weapons.

Forteen-year-old Maryam Isa was going to her grandfather's house on September 12 when security forces fired a tear gas canister at her which lit her clothes on fire and burnt her leg and foot. After her family reported it to the police, she was transferred to the hospital for treatment. The police however refused to give copies of medical and police reports to her family in attempt to hide the truth.

Khadija Sayed Mohamed, lost consciousness and started to throw up blood due to tear gas inhalation which was thrown in excessive amounts in the village of Saar on 23 Sep 2011.

The abuse cases against children in Bahrain is continuous, every day there are victims of the brutal and violent crackdown of Bahrain’s security forces and their use of illegal weaponry against peaceful protesters for exercising their rights.

Bahrain Center for Human Rights condemns the violations of human rights against children and calls the international community and demands of Bahraini government to:

Immediate release of all child detainees who were arrested arbitrarily or for merely practicing their rights to freedom of expression and freedon of assembly;
Stop the campaign of arbitrary detention of children;
Waive all sentences issued by military courts on children less than 18 as it violates article 40 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child which state that “States Parties shall seek to promote the establishment of laws, procedures, authorities and institutions specifically applicable to children”;
In cases which present evidence of a child committing crimes and requiring punishment according to law, then they should be prosecuted in a trial consistent with international standards of fair trial and taking consideration of their age;
Urgent and neutral investigation in all cases of murder, torture and assault specially those against children and juveniles, and bring the perpetrators and implementers of such crimes to justice;
Providing full care for the victims of all these violations specially children and juveniles and providing them with suitable compensation and required treatment;
In case of detaining those younger than 18 years old, this should be in special detention centres for children and juveniles that are under the Ministry of Social Affairs supervision and not the Ministry of Interior or any other security force;
Stop the repeated attacks on the Bahraini villages, especially those that affect children and juveniles;
Adhere to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and implementation of all the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child Rights issued in 2002 and 2011.
Taking all measures to ensure that children and juveniles in detention or trial do not lose their right of basic education to guarantee them a bright future far from deprivation and loss;
End the use of excessive force and of lethal weapons in dealing with peaceful protests, which has caused death of more than 40 persons since Feb 2011.