Bahrain regime tortures again

This video is called Systematic torture in Bahrain.

According to Rupert Murdoch, absolute royal dictatorship in Bahrain is freedom.

As this blog wrote earlier:

… the Bahrain dictatorship gets praise for “economic freedom” again. This time, the sycophants are the Wall Street Journal, aka the War Street Journal, owned by phone hacking, police bribing tycoon Rupert Murdoch. And the neo-conservative Heritage (which heritage?) Foundation in the USA.

These two had so much praise for the Bahraini royal dynasty last year as well.

Economic freedom in Bahrain? They don’t mean freedom from forced prostitution in Bahrain, an international center for trafficking in women. Economic freedom for the pimps: yes. They don’t mean economic freedom for immigrant workers, who suffer from slave labour and who burn to death from lack of fire safety. They don’t mean economic freedom for native Bahraini workers, sacked by the thousands for joining pro-democracy demonstrations.

They don’t mean economic freedom for a local small businessman, whose business and person will suffer violent attacks by pro-royal family thugs for being critical of the regime.

However, now it seems that even at the Wall Street Journal, aka War Street Journal, at least one journalist is unable to cover up the Bahraini reality with Murdoch’s propaganda cant any longer.

From the Wall Street Journal:

March 19, 2013, 7:33 p.m. ET

New Bahrain Torture Claims Prompt Call for Probe

By ALEX DELMAR-MORGAN

Five detainees arrested in Bahrain last year said they were tortured in custody, according to family members, lawyers and an ex-prisoner, accusations that a member of an official inquiry panel said should be formally investigated.

Bahrain security forces used methods including beatings, electrocution and suspension on ropes to force confessions from the detainees, who were accused of involvement in bombings in the capital, Manama, the people alleged to The Wall Street Journal. …

The claims suggest the Bahrain government has failed to implement some of the changes recommended by the 2011 Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, according to Sir Nigel Rodley, a human-rights lawyer who took part in the commission.

The 2011 inquiry, commissioned by Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, described what it said was systematic mistreatment of prisoners and widespread torture in Bahraini jails, and recommended steps to stop it.

The new torture allegations “suggest there has been a recrudescence of torture,” Sir Nigel said. “The only way you could begin to dispel allegations like that is to let in again independent people with experience, including forensic pathologists and forensic psychologists, to examine them.” …

The U.S. froze a $53 million defense deal with Bahrain in October 2011 on condition that the country enact human-rights reforms and political changes that were laid out by the commission. The U.S. resumed those weapons sales in May 2012. Bahrain hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet, serving as the Navy’s primary naval base in the Middle East. …

Over 16 days of interrogation in the Central Intelligence Department building in the Adliya district of Manama, Mr. Talib was beaten repeatedly and tortured, according to his wife, Fatima Ebrahim, and his lawyer, Sayed Hashin Saleh, who have seen Mr. Talib in prison and spoken with him by phone. Mr. Talib eventually confessed to charges including possessing explosive material and forming a group with the intention of harming others. … His lawyer said his confession was coerced and he isn’t guilty.

Ahmed Abdullah, a 24-year-old gymnasium worker, was arrested in November and accused by authorities of involvement in the bombings. According to his brother Ibrahim, who has visited him in prison and spoken to him by phone, Mr. Abdullah was blindfolded for nearly 20 days in the CID building in Adliya, where he was beaten repeatedly, and forced to stand for long periods until he signed a confession. … Mr. Abdullah denies the charges against him, his brother said.

Journalist Ahmed Radhi was released in September after four months in detention. He said he was taken to the CID building in Adliya and was punched in the head, chest and face and beaten with sticks for 48 hours. He was forced to confess to throwing petrol bombs, a charge he denies. “Torture is one of the tools they use to break the people from continuing the revolution,” he said. “I carry a pen, not a Molotov.”

Another detainee, arrested in July in connection with bombings in November 2011, said he had been held for seven months in solitary confinement, beaten and burned and forced to confess, his sister said. Another, arrested at the same time, was beaten to extract a confession, according to his lawyer. Both men are in custody awaiting trial for possessing and making explosives. Both deny the charges against them.

The accounts of torture by security forces follow other such accusations documented last year by human-rights organizations Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. …

Sir Nigel said that Bahrain has yet to break the “problem of impunity” for torture committed by security personnel.

“The measures they’ve taken haven’t gone to the roots, such as…integrating the security forces and doing something extensive about the problem of impunity right the way up to all levels of responsibility in all of the agencies,” Sir Nigel said.

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