*** ----> Investigations launched into accusations of torture and ill-treatment by Bahrain forces | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Investigations launched into accusations of torture and ill-treatment by Bahrain forces

TDT | Manama                                                     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Special Investigation Unit has begun its investigations into 16 complaints received during the last quarter of 2023in Bahrain, in which allegations varied between torture and ill-treatment by members of the Public Security Forces (PSF).

This was announced yesterday by SIU acting attorney general and head, Mohammed Khaled Al Hazzaa.

The SIU heard the statements of 25 complainants and witnesses, interrogated 41 accused and suspects from members of the PSF, and referred eight of the complainants to the Forensic Medicine and Psychological Support Division.

The SIU also completed its investigations into an incident where a child was subjected to abuse by a worker at a social care complex.

It ordered that the accused be brought into custody by the Minor Criminal Court, which ruled on October 11, 2023, to detain him for 10 days with effect.

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The SIU also completed its investigation into one of the complaints and referred a member of the PSF to the Military Courts Administration at the Ministry of Interior to take appropriate legal measures against him.

The accused was proven to have committed a legal error while performing his duties, which constitutes a form of ill-treatment that requires disciplinary accountability.

Workshops

Within the framework of the unit’s constant keenness to adhere to international human rights standards and its interest in training, and in cooperation with the UN Development Programme and the Human Rights Affairs Sector of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the SIU organised a workshop entitled “International Human Rights Procedures and Mechanisms," in which about 70 international experts, officials, and members of relevant national agencies and civil society organisations participated.

Five workshop sessions over two days covered several specialised topics, the most prominent of which were international conventions related to human rights and the obligations of states towards them.