Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Annex B — Summary of Torture Allegations
CASE NO. 7
(Examined by forensic team)
Date of statement: 3 August 2011
Statement: On 17 March 2011, security forces entered the witness’s home,
pulled him from bed and pointed rifles at his head. The men presented no
identification or arrest warrant. There was no abuse to his family. The
detainee was pushed into the back of a van and forced to lie down while his
hands were cuffed with plastic handcuffs.
He was taken to the police station where they removed his handcuffs and
gave him his crutches. He was accused of being a traitor and subjected to
verbal abuse and threats such as the following: “Your daughter is being
raped from the back and we will start doing it from the front”; and “You are
a son of a whore and you don’t deserve to live.” He was made to stand
outside facing the wind for prolonged periods. He heard other detainees
being cursed and heard Shia defamation. He was verbally abused and
sexually molested with a finger thrust into his anus. He was beaten with
hands and shoes, and was forced to lick the shoes and wipe them on his face.
A man placed a pistol in his mouth and said, “I wish I could empty it in your
head.”
He was then taken to Al Qurain Prison and beaten along the way. He was
placed in solitary confinement from 17 March until 17 May in a cell
measuring 2m x 3m. There were no lights in his cell. Initially there was
only a sponge to sleep on and no blankets. He was not allowed to wash until
his 11 th day in detention. The temperature was cold and there was wind,
sand and insects. A group of masked men spat on him and called him a
traitor and a son of a whore. They threatened him with rape and made
sexually explicit comments about his wife and his daughter. They took his
wooden crutches away and made him stand on one leg for prolonged
periods. They kicked him in his good leg until he fell down. He was beaten
with batons and a shoe every night and he sustained an injury to his left rib
as a result. His crutch was pushed into his genitals. They poured water on
him and on his sleeping sponge several times. On one occasion he was
forced to sleep on ceramic tiles. He was forced to repeat the national anthem
whenever the main door was opened. His prayer rituals were interrupted.
He received little food and consequently lost over 10 kilograms. He was
told to apologise to the King on camera but he refused.
The detainee experiences discomfort in his right shoulder, which is bruised
from beatings inflicted during his arrest. He also experiences pain in his left
rib. His carpal tunnel syndrome has worsened in prison as a result of being
forced to stand with his hands tightly cuffed and raised above his head. He
feels numbness down his right leg as well as lower back pain, although these
problems have improved. He has been deprived of his glasses for over one
month and as a result his vision has deteriorated. He is very worried about
his family, particularly his son. He suffers from sleep disturbance. His
situation improved after the Commission arrived.
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