Escalations of violence against children in Bahrain as 13 year old is
 

03-05-12 08:50 AM

http://bahrainrights.hopto.org/BCHR/...5983898771.jpg
Photo: torture marks on the body of Sayed Yaseen Shubber, 13 year old.

3 May 2012

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights condemns the authorities’ systematic acts of violence against children in Bahrain. Children’s rights have been abused and violated since the start of the revolution while violations continue to escalate on a daily basis.

Sayed Yaseen Sayed Abduljaleel Shubber, a 13 year old, was arrested by riot police in his neighborhood in Hamad Town on 27 April 2012. They released him on the condition of his appearing at the public prosecution on 29 April 2012. After his release, marks of torture were very apparent on his back and face, especially near his eyes which indicated the severity of torture and beatings that he was subjected to by riot police.


On Sunday 29 April, the juvenile court judge ordered his detention until 3 May 2012, disregarding the evidence of torture and mistreatment he underwent during his arrest. He was accused of tearing up a police shirt, beating a police officer, and the usual accusations of rioting and illegal gathering. These charges are amongst the harshest and most absurd charges that a child has been accused of since the state of National Safety, AKA Martial law was declared last year on 15 March. This comes after taking into account the fact that Sayed Yaseen is a 13 year old unarmed boy and the police are fully armed grown-ups.

We demand the immediate release of Sayed Yaseen Sayed Abduljaleel and all other detained children, putting an end to the torture and ill-treatment of children in Bahrain and their illegal arrests based on sham charges. We appeal to children's rights organizations and the international community to call on the Bahraini authorities to stop violating children's rights.

Background:
The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) has documented children's rights violations in its published report. BCHR has also documented numerous cases and released reports of children's rights violations since February 14 2011. Around 60 children below the age of 18 are currently in detention, some of who are sentenced up to 15 years imprisonment. There are at least dozens of cases where children were beaten and assaulted by riot police. Meanwhile no actions have been taken by the government of Bahrain to put an end for this while reports of children arrests and torture are being documented on a daily basis. Please refer to:
• Bahrain: Violations of the Rights of the Child worse than ever: Deaths by excessive force, and military trials at age of 15
• Child Abuse In Bahrain Continues Without Accountability: Murder, Arbitrary Arrests, Torture And Harsh Military Sentences


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