The Bahrain Center for Human Rights is closely monitoring with
concern the cases of injured prisoners in need of immediate treatment
after being injured due to the brutal repression carried out by security
forces in Bahrain in the past 18 months. What raises our concern is
that many of the prisoners are serving harsh sentences without proper
medical treatment, against the backdrop of peaceful demonstrations
demanding freedom and democracy.
In this report, the BCHR sheds light on the case of injured prisoner Mohammed Mulla Hassan Sahwan
(36 years) from Sanabis, as only one case among many similar ones to
showcase the prisoners’ suffering in their deprivation of proper medical
treatment despite their serious injuries.
Details of Muhammad Sahwan’s injury:
Mohammed Mulla Hassan Sahwan was sentenced to 15 years in the Central
Prison of Bahrain (Jaw), after he was convicted along with four others
of "planning to carry out an armed terrorist cell in Bahrain against
vital installations and personalities" in a case known as the "Qatar
Cell". Their trial was void of any evidence and the judgment was based
on confessions taken under torture, while the court ignored the
investigation despite the provision of medical reports substantiated.
Sahwan was injured on 17 April 2011 during the state National Safety
(martial law), a period known for the brutal violence conducted by
security forces in Bahrain alongside the army to crush peaceful
demonstrations as well as arbitrary arrests. On that day riot police
forces, supported by armed civilians, started raiding and attacking
houses in the village of Sanabis and they fired teargas canisters and
bullet cartridge (shotgun) which is forbidden internationally.
Mohammed Sahwan was near his father’s house when riot police fired
cartridge (shotgun) at him, injuring his leg, neck, head and other parts
of his body. The shot made him fall on the ground, laying there for a
period of time in fear of either being killed or getting arrested.
Eventually he got up and ran, resorting to a nearby house while
bleeding.
Shotgun had spread on his body (head, neck, ear and part of the face
and the entire back and one of the legs) and his condition was very
serious. He was first aided secretly by doctors from Doctors Without
Borders within a small apartment which was not fully prepared for
necessary treatment. Fragments of shotgun were extract out of his leg,
however some shrapnel remained in his head due to the need for an
ultrasound before extracting them from a serious and sensitive part of
the body. Muhammad Sahwan did not get the chance to go to a hospital in
fear of being arrested, since hospitals were all under the control of
the army and security forces who were arresting and torturing people
inhumanely.
In October 2011 and after months, Sahwan travelled through the King
Fahad Causeway to Saudi Arabia in search of treatment but he did not
find a hospital that he felt safe to be in, as a result of security
cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. He decided to go to the
State of Qatar in search of treatment, only to be arrested at the border
along with those with him.
Detention and torture in the State of Qatar before being received by the intelligence, national security forces in Bahrain:
In the State of Qatar, Mohammad Sahwan and others with him were
imprisoned and tortured psychologically and physically, as they were
placed in a white room with surveillance cameras even in the toilet.
They were interrogated at length, as Sahwan was threatened that he would
not see his family again and no one would know of his whereabouts at
all. He was told that he will go missing “just like how Mousa Al Sader
went missing in Libya”.
After 32 days of detention in Qatar, the officer told them that they
will be taken to the airport in a stunt of psychological torture and
mockery, allowing them to seek treatment in Iran. However, they were
taken to the airport and then to Bahrain and when they arrived the
National Security Agency were waiting for them.
Torture in the building of the Criminal Investigation Department in Bahrain:
After being transferred from Bahrain International Airport to the
building of the Criminal Investigation Department in Bahrain, Mohammed
Sahwan and others with him were brutally tortured. According to his
testimony the torture was supervised by Isa Al-Majali, a Jordanian
officer who is known infamously for his brutal torture techniques. A
number of reports were issued and documented regarding Al-Majali’s
involvement in torturing many Bahraini political prisoners. See the
report: (bahrainrights.org/ar/node/5359)
In his testimony on torture, Mohammed Sahwan told his lawyer, that
Al-Majali said to him the following: "We have examined you at the
hospital and saw more than 50 bullets of shotgun in your head, and they
are all on the right side of your head. I shall hit you with all tools I
have on your left side until you see the shotgun coming out of your
head from the right side and blood is scattering out of your head unless
you sign this statement. "
Initially Muahmmed Sahwan refused to sign the statement which
contained false charges against him, and he was severely tortured yet he
kept refusing. Al-Majali then started to threaten him of sexually
assaulting his wife and said to him: "I’ll bring your wife here in front
of your eyes and we will rape and do what we want with her, you will be
handcuffed and you won’t be able to do anything, unless you sign the
statement". Mohammed Sahwan signed the statement which was pre-prepared
by them without knowing its contents.
All the defendants in the same case (Qatar Terrorist Cell case) were
subjected to torture. Their names are Muhammad, Ali, Isa and a religious
figure named Ali Al-Mostarshid. Lawyer Mohammed Al Jishi gave the court
a medical report of one hundred pages proving that his client Ali
Al-Mostarshid was subjected to torture but all the allegations were
ignored without investigation and all of the 5 detainees were sentenced
to 15 years imprisonment without real evidence and based solely on their
confessions which were taken under torture. The appeal court is looking
into the case and has postponed it till September 9 2012.
Consequences of injury and the pain of the shotgun: 80 fragments in
the head and neck and the rest are scattered around the body:
After months of detention, Mohammed Sahwan who is detained in Dry
Dock temporary prison was examined by a doctor in the clinic of the
Ministry of Interior. The doctor took x-rays, which showed that 80
fragments of shotgun are in his face, head and neck, and the rest
scattered in the back and some others in one of his legs, all of them in
need of urgent extraction.
Prisoner Mohamed Sahwan was taken to the Military Hospital which is
ran by the Bahrain Defence Force (army) and the surgeon informed
Mohammed that he will not be able to perform the operation because it’s
dangerous, and that Mohammed will remain for the rest of his life
medicating on painkillers to avoid the chronic pain caused by the
fragments in his head.
Mohammed kept suffering from pain for several months until his
condition worsened. He was taken again to the military hospital where he
received the same response, despite insisting on undergoing the
operation regardless of how dangerous it is just to rid himself of the
excruciating pain.
After many appeals to his family, the prison administration at the
Temporary detention center at Dry Dock agreed to transfer him to
Salmaniya Medical Center. He was examined by a doctor who told him that
he can perform the operation, but the doctor claimed that he is fully
booked with no available appointments.
Prevention of medical care at Jaw Prison:
On May 27 2012, Mohammad Sahwan was sentenced to 15 years
imprisonment and he was transferred to Jaw Central Prison, where he was
prevented from going to the hospital despite the fact that he had
scheduled appointments. He was prevented from even going to the prison
clinic itself. When he was in pain, he was deprived from the pills
prescribed by his doctor to reduce the pain. During Mohammed Sahwan’s
calls to his family, he screamed due to increasing pain.
Ms. Reem Khalaf, Mohammed Sahwan’s lawyer demanded him to be treated
medically or at least be examined by a doctor. She also demanded that
during the first appeal session on 1st July 2012, yet the prison
administration and public prosecution did not respond to her appeals.
The BCHR has reported previously on such cases, such as the situation
of Jaffar Salman (was released few days ago after 18 months detention),
who was injured in his eyes whilst being deprived of medical treatment (bahrainrights.hopto.org/en/node/4804) as well as Younis Ashoori (was released few days ago after 18 months detention), who suffers from chronic kidney stones. (bahrainrights.hopto.org/en/node/5095 )
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights believes that denying injured
prisoners their treatment is a direct violation of Article 25 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that everyone has
the right to health and medical care. This is a breach of international
law which guarantees the right to treatment even in time of war, yet in
Bahrain this right is ignored constantly.
Therefore, the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights demands the following:
– To immediately provide the necessary treatment to Muhammad Sahwan
and all other prisoners in need of medical care in the prisons of
Bahrain.
– For the authorities in Bahrain to commit to international conventions
which they have ratified, especially the rights of prisoners to receive
full medical care.
– The release of Mohammed Sahwan and others convicted in the case where
the judgment is only based on confessions extracted under torture, which
is internationally prohibited.
– Accountability against those involved in torture, bringing them to a
fair and independent judiciary, including the Jordanian officer Isa
Al-Majali, who’s name was repeated in many documented cases of torture.
