Alwaght- A new report on the human rights violations in Bahrain paints a gleam picture of a worsening situation amid unabated brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom.
Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) launched its annual Human Rights Report for the year 2017 entitled, "No Right to Rights," in which it addressed the major human rights violations committed in Bahrain last year.
BCHR said in a statement this week that that over the course of 2017, the number of politically-motivated detentions increased, as did reports of torture and ill treatment carried out in order to force confessions during interrogations. "Moreover, political and social media activists continued to be targeted, both by the security forces and by the judiciary. Human rights defenders have also been targeted."
As for politically-motivated court cases, the Center stressed that they are pursued in a manner falling far short of the minimum basic standards for fair trials as stipulated by international law; this is not to mention the fact that civilians have been tried in military courts. Authorities have also employed anti-terror laws against opposition activists and peaceful protesters.
The report highlighted that a number of opposition activists and Shia religious clerics have had their citizenship revoked, with several subsequently being deported. The report also mentioned certain events, such as the execution of three citizens by a firing squad, the torture of activists in National Security Service building, the authorities' clearing of the Diraz sit-in that left five martyrs, the ongoing travel bans imposed on activists, the closure of Al-Wasat newspaper and approval of the closure of opposition political groups.
BCHR further stated that the report "is a summary of the human rights violations documented by the Bahrain Center for Human Rights over the course of 2017. A number of other violations were reported, but it has not been possible to verify them due to fear on the part of victims, who have been unwilling to share their testimonies. The volume of violations reported during 2017 also meant that it was beyond the capacity of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights to investigate all of them."
Thousands of anti-regime protesters have held demonstrations in Bahrain on an almost daily basis ever since a popular uprising began in the country in mid-February 2011.
They are demanding that the Al Khalifah dynasty relinquish power and allow a just system representing all Bahrainis to be established.
Manama has gone to great lengths to clamp down on any sign of dissent. On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to assist Bahrain in its crackdown.
Many have lost their lives and hundreds of others sustained injuries or got arrested as a result of the Al Khalifah regime’s crackdown. The regime has also revoked citizenship of many activists while others are being held incommunicado. The Manama regime enjoys full backing of the US and Britain in its brutal crackdown on peaceful dissent.
