Grave concern as Bahrain restores power to abusive agency
Grave concern as Bahrain restores power to abusive agency
Bahrain is being criticised for restoring arrest and investigatory powers to an intelligence agency found guilty of 'terrorising' and 'systematically torturing suspects,' as human rights advocates raise alarm.
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Bahrain's NSA is accused of systematically torturing protesters and terror suspects [AFP]
Bahrain has regressed on reforms enacted after 2011's popular uprisings by restoring extraordinary powers to its national intelligence agency, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.
The rights group's remarks follow the restoration of arrest and investigatory powers to Bahrain's National Security Agency on January 5. The NSA was also accused of systematically torturing and "terrorising" suspects during the country's Arab Spring uprisings.
This move reverses one of the few significant security sector reforms introduced after 2011.
"Returning arrest powers to an intelligence agency that terrorised families and tortured detainees is yet another nail in the coffin for Bahrain's post-2011 reform process," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at HRW.
"Detainees will not be safe in NSA custody and Bahrain's oversight mechanisms are no guarantee of protection."
A royal decree issued in November 2011 had rescinded the powers not given back to the NSA.
The 2011 decree was issued in line with a central recommendation of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, which was set up to investigate the brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters in February 2011.
The commission, which included international jurists, said that NSA officers engaged in "terror-inspiring behaviour" in night time house raids. It added that their systematic approach indicated levels of training that "could not have happened without the knowledge of higher echelons of the command structure of the Interior Ministry and NSA".
The commission also concluded that the death of Abd al-Karim Ali Ahmed Fakhrawi, a businessman and founder of the al-Wasat newspaper, was due to torture while he was in NSA custody.
Two NSA officers were later charged with assault, rather than murder or torture, in connection with Fakhrawi’s death. Bahrain's Supreme Appellate Court later reduced the pair's prison terms from seven years to three in October 2013.
The Gulf kingdom's authorities have defended the recent restoration of powers as necessary in tackling terrorism.
The rights group's remarks follow the restoration of arrest and investigatory powers to Bahrain's National Security Agency on January 5. The NSA was also accused of systematically torturing and "terrorising" suspects during the country's Arab Spring uprisings.
This move reverses one of the few significant security sector reforms introduced after 2011.
"Returning arrest powers to an intelligence agency that terrorised families and tortured detainees is yet another nail in the coffin for Bahrain's post-2011 reform process," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at HRW.
"Detainees will not be safe in NSA custody and Bahrain's oversight mechanisms are no guarantee of protection."
A royal decree issued in November 2011 had rescinded the powers not given back to the NSA.
The 2011 decree was issued in line with a central recommendation of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, which was set up to investigate the brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters in February 2011.
The commission, which included international jurists, said that NSA officers engaged in "terror-inspiring behaviour" in night time house raids. It added that their systematic approach indicated levels of training that "could not have happened without the knowledge of higher echelons of the command structure of the Interior Ministry and NSA".
The commission also concluded that the death of Abd al-Karim Ali Ahmed Fakhrawi, a businessman and founder of the al-Wasat newspaper, was due to torture while he was in NSA custody.
Two NSA officers were later charged with assault, rather than murder or torture, in connection with Fakhrawi’s death. Bahrain's Supreme Appellate Court later reduced the pair's prison terms from seven years to three in October 2013.
The Gulf kingdom's authorities have defended the recent restoration of powers as necessary in tackling terrorism.
With the Interior Ministry's Ombudsman and Special Investigations Unit having made little progress in holding the NSA to account since being set up six years ago, however, it remains unclear whether the excesses of 2011 will be avoided.
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