Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Annex B — Summary of Torture Allegations
On 17 March, while the detainee was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of
SMC, “the military” (possibly civilians, soldiers and police all with covered
faces) came to the hospital and he was moved to a different room on the
sixth floor. He was then beaten and slapped while being questioned. These
assaults caused swelling, pain and bruising to his face, but no bleeding
wounds. He detainee police preventing medical personnel from coming into
the room to care for him. Security forces questioned him and took his
photograph and fingerprints. When the doctor was allowed to return to the
witness’s room at 04:00 on 18 March, the detainee told the doctor about his
new injuries and the doctor told him that he would write a report. He was
returned to the ICU on 18 March, and on 28 March he had his third surgery.
The detainee was transferred to a military hospital on 30 March. He was in
a very poor condition after his third operation; his breathing was laboured
and he had lost his voice. In the military hospital, he had plastic cuffs placed
tightly around his wrists. When he asked them to loosen the cuffs,
sometimes they would be loosened but sometimes they would be tightened
even further. He remained handcuffed until 7 April.
He was then transferred to a detention centre where he was taken to a large
holding room. He was not able to sit or lie down and after one hour he
fainted and was taken back to the hospital by ambulance. He was not abused
at the detention centre. He was given food, water and access to a toilet. He
was not blindfolded but he noted that others were. He witnessed other
detainees being beaten with ropes, tubes and sticks. He also witnessed other
detainees being suspended and electrocuted, and he saw marks on the bodies
of other detainees. He saw a journalist who had been stripped naked.
During this time he continued to experience difficulty breathing, pains at the
surgical sites, general weakness and loss of voice.
After 11 days, he was transferred to Dry Dock Detention Centre. He was
not beaten but he detainee others being beaten with hoses and cables. His
treatment was generally better at Dry Dock, although he had poor access to
medical care. He suffered verbal abuse but he did not want to elaborate on
the things that were said to him. [At this point in the interview, tears welled
up in his eyes and he became distraught.]
After two months he was transferred to Juw Prison. There, he was verbally
abused during a medical visit and he was forced to sign a confession.
CASE NO. 31
(Examined by the forensic team)
Date of statement: 25 August 2011
Statement: On 23 or 24 March 2011, the detainee was arrested on a farm
along with four friends by masked men in civilian clothes. He was
blindfolded, kicked, and beaten with sticks and hands. He suffered a
nosebleed, bruises and swelling from the beatings.
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