Ibtisam Al-Saegh: The prisoners who have been released need financial, psychological and social support

Ibtisam Al-Saegh – Head of Monitoring and Documentation at Salam for Democracy and Human Rights

The Bahrain Forum for Human Rights (BFHR) organized a virtual press conference on Saturday May 11 2024, with the participation of Devin Kenney, researcher at Amnesty International (AI), Zainab Khamis, head of the Monitoring and Documentation Committee at the Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS), Ibtisam Al-Saegh, head of monitoring and documentation at SALAM for Democracy and Human Rights (SALAM DHR), and Ghina Rebai, researcher at the BFHR. The conference was about the issue of prisoners of conscience in Bahrain and was hosted by Bahraini journalist, Murtada Al-Talbi.

To watch the conference: click here

The following is the full speech by Ibtisam Al-Sayegh – Head of Monitoring and Documentation at SALAM DHR:

When we received these prisoners, many things related to the medical negligence that the prisoners were subjected to, were revealed. I met with a large number of those released who were suffering from dental health problems. The majority of the prisoners who had dental problems were requesting treatment in prison but were not receiving it. They even demanded to be transferred to a private hospital and were prepared to bear the cost of the treatment, but the prison administration did not allow them to do so.

In addition, a large number of those released suffers from skin diseases – which reflects the poor conditions of the prison – such as scabies, fungi spreading over their bodies, and many medical conditions due to the prison environment. During my visits to a large number of prisoners, I discovered that many of them suffer from many health problems.

Today, these prisoners who were imprisoned for 13 years, or 9, or 10 years, are now out. Some of them were children, and they are out now as young men, starting their lives from scratch. They don’t even own clothes, and they need to buy new clothes.

Today, these prisoners need humanitarian, financial and psychological support. There should be humanitarian cadres, from both the authorities and the society, to adopt and embrace these prisoners who have been released and are in need of financial, psychological and social support. There are many cases that urgently need to be presented to a dermatologist, and there is a large number of prisoners who need dental specialists to begin treating their teeth and restore their smiles that were absent due to the prison conditions and the repression they were subjected to.

They were watching before their eyes medical negligence, and how one after another fell because of this inhumane policy, which must be stopped and its perpetrators held accountable. International supervision bodies should attend and hold perpetrators accountable for everything that happens inside these prisons because the results of these policies have left many painful stories and very sad humanitarian cases.

 We are talking about prisoners who came out suffering from psychological problems and did not receive treatment in these centers, which are so-called rehabilitation centers. The prisoners carried with them many bad memories of the situations and circumstances they experienced in prison, which they describe as very, very harsh days that cannot be erased from their memories.

They need a helping hand to be extended to them, and they need the society to be able to embrace them for a new beginning.

In fact, what is happening now is that more than one representative in the Parliament spoke about the demand of emptying prisons, releasing political prisoners, and ending the file of detainees, but unfortunately the policy of denial still exists, and this is a second disaster. These prisoners were victims of a period of political movement and were subjected to atrocities and grave violations that left their impact on their bodies and psychological state. Therefore, there must be a sincere intention that goes with the release decision and the recommendations, and the released prisoners must be able to have their rights. In fact, they have not obtained a certificate of good conduct yet. So how will they be able to live while they must wait for two years until they can obtain this certificate? Any criminal or political prisoner is supposed to obtain it when he leaves the prison gate. He must hold a certificate of good conduct in his hand, because this release must mean that he has completed a rehabilitation program, according to how those centers describe themselves, in order to start his life again.

The society is required to support and embrace these prisoners, especially since in Bahrain, we do not have rehabilitation centers, and there are no agencies that embrace and rehabilitate victims because it requires great capabilities and a lot of staff. However, at the present time, we have many hospitals, doctors and people who are ready to take the initiative and be a helping hand to these people in order to assist them and follow up on their treatment. Today, state ministries are also required to restore their citizenship rights, especially the released prisoners who had housing applications that had been canceled or suspended. They are supposed to obtain their right to housing.

There is a need now for a courageous decision by the authorities to empty the prisons of prisoners of conscience, for Bahrain to return to respecting its citizens’ rights to freedom of expression, and for abolishing political isolation. In addition, it is necessary to empower every human being to obtain their right to express their opinion without being punished, and to respect every human being’s right to peaceful assembly, demonstration, and expression.

We will continue to demand the release of all prisoners because it is the ideal solution. As for what is happening now in Jaw Prison in terms of restrictions on prisoners by depriving them of adequate meals, it is a kind of continuation of the same cycle that aggravates prison conditions and forms a group of complaints that will distort the image of Bahrain. There should be a law that the prison administration abides by to enable prisoners of obtaining their rights without procrastination and neglect. Anyone who obstructs these rights or tries to procrastinate in giving them must be held accountable, because by doing so, he contributes to distorting the image of Bahrain and confiscating the rights of prisoners, who should be able to enjoy their stipulated rights. Otherwise, it is considered a violation.

Freedom for all prisoners is our demand forever (release Bahraini prisoners).