Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry
entered the house. He was afraid and went to the top of the building, where
he tried to hide between a wall and a water tank. The men entered his flat
and started to search though his belongings. They arrested three of his
brothers who were also present in the house. The men then went upstairs,
located the detainee and dragged him downstairs. They took off his clothes
and he attempted to cover his genitals and buttocks. The men hit him
forcefully around the ears and punched him in the head, chest, shoulders and
abdominal areas. He was blindfolded, handcuffed and taken away in a car.
The detainee was taken to Al-Qalaa and detained in the basement area. He
was deprived of food, forced to stand for long periods and beaten on the
soles of his feet using a hose (falaka). He was handcuffed except for short
periods during prayer or when he went to the toilet. During interrogations
he was hit forcefully around the ears (telefono), which led to the rupture of
the tympanic membranes of the ears. He was beaten in the head and face,
kicked in his legs and buttocks and subjected to electric shocks on his inner
thighs. He was also placed on the “felaka machine” with his legs facing
upwards and his head facing downwards for approximately three or four
hours.
The detainee was subsequently transferred to Al Qurain Prison where the
torture continued. The guards forced him to kiss their shoes. They spat in
his mouth and forced him to swallow. They frequently made him take off
his clothes and bend over before forcing the hose against the anal area. His
first trial was held after approximately two months of detention and he was
allowed to contact his family. The conditions of his detention in Al Qurain
Prison started to improve after the establishment of the Commission.
CASE NO. 13
(Examined by forensic team)
Date of statement: 2 August 2011
Statement: The detainee was arrested at around 19:00 on 19 March 2011
after security forces raided his home in Sanad without an arrest warrant.
Around 15 individuals, most of them masked and several in plain clothes,
physically attacked him. They took a number of items from his house
including phones, laptops and 15,000 BD. The detainee was dragged down
the stairs, where he saw 20 more security personnel outside, and placed
inside a car. He was handcuffed, blindfolded and taken to an unknown
location.
While in detention he was repeatedly kicked and punched on his neck, back
and legs. He was subjected to verbal abuse directed towards himself, his
family and his religious beliefs. He was placed in solitary confinement and
forced to stand for long periods, only sitting down for five minutes during
meals (three times per day). He was threatened with electrocution and heard
the sound of the device. He was also repeatedly grabbed by the buttocks.
He could hear the cries of his brother nearby. After four or five days of
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