“Bahrain; capital of torture”

“Bahrain; capital of torture”
Sat May 11, 2013 20:19:18

Bahraini anti-regime activists have held a gathering in the village of Daih mostly populated with Shiite Muslims to protest against the torture of victims arrested by Saudi-backed al-Khalifa regime’s troops.

The frustrated demonstrators waved national flags and held up signs that read: “Manama, capital of torture”.
 

“Torture is a practice rooted in the security agencies,” in Bahrain, the main opposition bloc Al-Wefaq said in a statement.
 

It added that these practice were “embedded in the security doctrine - corrupt and hostile to the citizens.”

 

Al-Wefaq noted that “a political majority is demanding a democratic transition, [but] a hard core dictatorship is refusing any change and response to the popular will.”

 

The demonstration comes just days after the start of the international campaign under the title “Bahrain capital of torture.”

 

On Wednesday, Bahrain Forum for Human Rights in Beirut announced the details of the international campaign against torture in prisons on tiny Persian Gulf island nation.
 

It also accused the authorities of arresting 120 people during the period between 16 - April 22.

 

Human rights delegates condemned the use of force on citizens and the media blackout on the repression.

 

Also on Wednesday, the parliament in Bahrain was presented with a bill that would impose further restrictions on demonstrations. The new law would require organizers to submit a warranty check of more than $50,000 before holding a rally. It would also allow any resident to block a petition.
 

In late April, Bahrain unilaterally cancelled a United Nations mission to Manama to assess the country's progress in eliminating torture.
 

In 2011, a government-commissioned report found evidence of torture and human rights violations committed by the regime troops during an uprising that year.
 

Bahrain – home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet – is ruled by a minority Sunni monarchy, while over 75 percent of the population is Shia. In February 2011, thousands of protesters swarmed the streets of Bahrain's capital Manama, demanding democratic reforms and the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa. The island’s monarchy asked for Saudi Arabian troops to contain the violence, which according human rights groups’ estimates has resulted in at least 80 deaths.

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