A fresh report on Bahraini ex-prisoners revealed the long-lasting effects of the torture on their mental and social conditions.
A new investigation claims that torture and other alleged abuses in Bahrain have left their victims with long-term health issues. The torture occurred during the arrest, questioning, and detention of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience.
According to meetings and medical records, the non-profit Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) reported that it had discovered that many survivors were struggling to resume their normal lives. That’s because of “unidentifiable scars” that continued long years after the purported systematic abuse.
a sufferers was cited in its report as stating that they were detained while having a shower. The victim was then hauled nude onto the streets where they were assaulted.
The victim became irrationally angry, irritable, and very afraid of getting jailed again or anything bad happening to his household. Later, intimidation from security personnel prohibited him from going to treatment out of fear of retaliation.
A second woman reported to the organisation that during an investigation, she was made to strip naked and subjected to sexual abuse, whipping, insults. Threats of rape and the murder of her children were also on the table. She had trouble concentrating or making judgements after the incident, slept a lot, felt self-hatred, and thought about killing herself.
The Bahraini government allegedly engages in “severe kinds of medical neglect,” depriving inmates of their fundamental rights, and there is no mental health care accessible inside of Bahraini prisons, claims ADHRB. Even when an inmate is sent to a mental facility, the torture is not recognized by the administration.
Bahraini Prisoners; Years after Torture
The mental effects of torture invariably affect the victims’ social lives Their ability to engage with their environment is greatly influenced by their emotional stability. Male survivors of sexual abuse and rape suffered to continue social and romantic ties. That’s while this group were more unlikely to seek help because of a desire to look “strong” and “tough,” according to ADHRB.
The group has demanded increased openness and a fair probe into the claims of abuse. In addition, Bahrain should fund “psychological support programmes for the families of victims in order to promote awareness and empower them to establish a safe atmosphere for the victims,” according to the argument made in the report.
Human Rights Watch has been among one of the rare global agents to criticize Bahrain for spending the previous ten years “breaking down on nonviolent protest.” Bahrain is a mainly Shiite nation administered by a Sunni dynasty.
In the previous year, HRW said that the administration was utilizing a variety of strategies, including “political isolation legislation,” to prevent the opposition from participating in politics and other sectors of public life.
Since the nonviolent anti-government protest broke out back in 2011, the government’s widespread repression has become more severe. Since six years ago, Bahraini government have outlawed free media outlets and disbanded all significant opposing groups.
The Bahraini administration did not respond right away to the ADHRB findings. It has formerly rejected prejudice against its Shiite people and dismissed accusations of violating human rights.
