At around 5 o’clock p.m. on 26 June 2018, when he was just eighteen years old, Mohamed was forcibly arrested by masked civilians while he was driving home. Over the course of his commute, he was repeatedly cornered by unmarked, civilian vehicles, which forced him to drive to a location that was unknown to him.
After his removal from his vehicle, he was taken, by officers, to the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID). Contrary to provisions in the Bahraini Constitution and the Bahraini Code of Criminal Procedure which necessitates that the warrant be issued by a judicial authority and contain information regarding the grounds for the individual’s arrest and the charges brought against him, Mohamed was left in the dark. Moreover, in further contravention of both domestic and international legal obligations, and in staunch violation to the principles of the rule of law and habeas corpus, Mohamed was forced to wait forty-eight (48) hours before he was presented to a judge.
Upon his finally being presented to a judge in combination with his arrest, Mohamed was charged with multiple counts – including charges that expressly prohibited his right to freedom of assembly, such as his joining the February 14 Youth Coalition, joining the Al-Wafa Party, and illegal assembly. He was also charged with possession of Molotov cocktails.
Moreover, immediately following his arrest, Mohamed was forcibly disappeared for 20 days, during which time he had no contact with his family, who were left ignorant as to his whereabouts. It was after only after 22 days after his arrest that he was allowed to contact his family.
During the course of his 20 day disappearance and interrogation, Mohamed was continuously transferred between the CID and Jau Prison. His legal counsel was never present during this interrogation period.
Throughout his prolonged interrogation period, Mohamed was forced to suffer abuses and torture – including, but not limited to sexual assault, standing for long periods of times, severe physical beatings, and verbal insults at the hands of CID and National Security Service officials. Eventually this treatment lead to Mohamed signing a coerced confession in which he admitted to the various charges made against him.
As a direct result of the beatings sustained, Mohamed has been caused to suffer an injury to his leg, of which he continuously requested medical assistance. Despite his complaints of pain, it took nine months of constant requests for medical assistance before Mohamed was taken to the Al-Kalaa Hospital, where he was provided with only an injection to ease the pain he described in his leg. Despite requests and orders for a medical scan at the Al-Salmaniya Hospital, to date, no scan has occurred. As such, Mohamed today still suffers from this leg injury.
On 11 December 2019, Mohamed was sentenced to life in prison and a fine of 100,000 Bahraini Dinar, in equivalent of 26,5310.00 USD.
While Mohamed’s sentence has been appealed, with his next hearing scheduled to take place on 24 February 2020, he continues to be imprisoned in the New Dry Dock Detention Center, Block 6 – despite his unlawful, arbitrary arrest, prolonged interrogation, and torture.
The actions and abuses that Mohamed has been forced to suffer have become increasingly popular in Bahrain since 2011. This actions must no longer be tolerated, as they perpetuate a break down of the rule of law and creates a scenario in which human rights at large are put in grave jeopardy.
It goes without saying that the Kingdom of Bahrain’s sanction actions as against Mohamed are a violation of both domestic and international law, including Article 19 of the Bahraini Constitution, Articles 7, 9 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention Against Torture, all of which Bahrain is a signatory to.
ADHRB calls upon the Kingdom of Bahrain to uphold both their domestic and international human rights obligations, and in turn release Mohamed from his arbitrary detention. Further ADHRB calls for the Kingdom of Bahrain to ensure that any subsequent trial in which Mohamed is forced to be a participant pursuant to his 2018 charged, and any and all future charges if applicable, be conducted in a manner that is consistent with due process and the international standards of a fair trail.
Additionally, ADHRB further burgers the authorities of the Kingdom of Bahrain to investigate all claims of torture and ill-treatment by the CID officers and the National Security Service, as alleged by Mohamed, and hold those officers accountable for their actions.
