Food strike in a Bahraini Jail
Bahrain, Culture, 8/11/2003

Some 220 Bahraini prisoners continued a food strike they had started four days ago in protest of the bad treatment they received inside the prisons. They renewed their call on the Bahraini authorities to permit human rights societies to visit jails in order to investigate living conditions there.

Lawyer Abdullah Hashem said that the prisoners who are accused of criminal cases, and are of age 20 years old and above, pushed out the guards from the prison by force and blocked their doors and started the strike since four days. He added that when the "prisoners controlled the building they did not intend to divert the attention of the society and the state to what is taking place inside the prison and there were no political or criminal dimensions (to the act)."

Hashem indicated that the prisoners who spend imprisonment penalty ranging between short periods and life imprisonment are exposed to beating and psychological and physical abuse. He said "we are contacting the state department and call for the visit of a team of the Bahraini human rights organizations inside the prison to see the facts told by the prisoners."

He added "two of the prisoners were admitted to the hospital because of the food strike. We hold the Ministry of the Interior full responsibility in case consequences to the prisoners as a result of the beating." The Bahraini dailies quoted an official at the ministry of the interior as saying that the ministry gives the health of prisoners top priority. The official said "we do appreciate human rights and the role of political societies in adopting human rights but, we can not at the same time permit interference in this matter because this will affect the process of investigation." The food strike came following allegations that a 29 year old prisoner was exposed to beating in front of his family, while visiting him at prison.

Previous Stories:
  Human rights watch permitted in Bahrain   (3/7/2001)
  Ruler of Bahrain pardons two British prisoners   (11/24/1999)
  Bahrain: al-Jamri to be sentenced today   (7/7/1999)

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