“I was hung for days from both hands and feet (in what is called the falaqa position in Arabic), beaten mercilessly, deprived of sleep and sexually assaulted. These are the words of Jaffar Al Hasabi, 39, of Mill Hill East, north London, who has languished in a Bahraini prison since his arrest more than three months ago.
On August 16 Al Hasabi, a UK citizen, was disembarking at Bahrain International Airport with his elderly mother and two young daughters, both UK citizens, as they returned from a religious holiday in Iran. The unsuspecting Al Hasabi, who is Bahraini by origin, was led away by several heavily-built men to an unknown destination.
For the following two weeks nothing was heard of him or of his whereabouts despite frantic search by his close family members. The first time he was seen was on August 31 when he was brought to the Prosecutor’s office where he met his lawyer, Mohammad Al Tajir, for ten minutes before he was asked to sign a pre-prepared confession.
Al Hasabi told his lawyer how he had been tortured, abused and forced to sign the “confessions”. His peaceful protests in the UK to the Al Khalifa hereditary rule in Bahrain, was presented as “an attempt to overthrow the Government”. He was also accused of “spreading false news”, “contacting foreign human rights bodies” and “spreading lies and fabrications” against the Government.
For the past three months the Government of Bahrain has arrested more than 400 political and human rights activists including Dr Abdul Jalil Al Singace. He was returning home from London on August 13, a week after he had taken part in a seminar on August 5 in House of Lords, which was addressed by Baroness Falkner. That was enough to incarcerate the disabled person who had been crippled by Polio from early age. For the following two months his crutches were confiscated and he was forced to crawl to the bathroom every time he needed it; his glasses taken away, blindfolded and shackled.
Detainees include at least forty children (aged 10-17), religious scholars, a famous blogger, trade unionists and human rights activists. Many international bodies have condemned the savage treatment of prisoners in Bahrain including Human Rights Watch, Frontline and Bar Human Rights Committee.
Al Hasabi’s family have expressed dismay at the way the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has so far handled the case. His wife, Hajar Mahdi, told The Muslim News: “We are dismayed and disappointed at the way the FCO has refused to take serious steps to secure Jaffar’s release, or even stop the torture still being inflicted on him.” Mahdi further added: “Despite numerous attempts to meet up with them, I was only able to talk directly to them once; since them our calls to the FCO have fallen on deaf ears.”
“We continue to monitor this case closely and FCO consular officials remain in touch with his family,” a spokesperson from the FCO told The Muslim News.
For several weeks the British Embassy in Bahrain remained silent, and only asked for a consular visit after the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, called Bahrain’s Crown Prince in September. The consular visit that followed was far from satisfactory. The official saw Al Hasabi briefly in the presence of a Colonel from Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior. The victim was full of fear having been warned against exposing his ill-treatment. Human Rights activists insist that the visit should not have taken place in the presence of one of those who may be directly involved in torture. While the FCO would point out to the recent elections as encouraging signs in the right direction, these elections fell far short of the international standards of real representation, empowerment of the public, real power-sharing and the ability to change the Government.
Al Wefaq, the largest political block won 18 out of 40 contested seats of the House of Representatives, but their “victory” is dwarfed by the fact that there are another 40 appointed members to the Shura Council. This powerless legislature has been sidelined as it is both powerless and politically deformed.
When he appeared at the court on October 28, the presence of defence lawyers, international human rights observers and media representatives as well as officials from the US, UK and German embassies encouraged Al Hasabi to re-iterate his torture experience. The defendants including Al Hasabi, were subjected to more torture after the court appearance where they had talked against the instructions by their torturers.
While this token concern is appreciated by Al Hasabi’s family, they insist that his ordeal could have ended much earlier if the FCO and the Embassy officials had taken the torture of Al Hasabi seriously. While the FCO insists torture is unacceptable, little is done to confront those who practice it or to take the cries of its victims seriously. It is clear that the UK national is being haunted by his peaceful activities in London to stand up for oppression, injustice and dictatorship. The FCO’s actions are not in line with the feelings and expectations of bloggers, human rights activists and politicians who expressed solidarity of this torture victim and called on the UK Government to shoulder its responsibility of protecting its own nationals especially when they are subjected to the inhumane and degrading treatment Al Hasabi has been exposed to.
Ignoring the pleas of victims of torture is an abandonment of principles, ideals and above all, humanity.
