Bahrain Human Rights Society wades into controversy over statement
Durazi flanked by Stork on his right and Colangelo-Bryan - BHRS
Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS) has distanced itself from a statement by its secretary general in which he said that some of the officers named and shamed as torturers in a report by Human Rights Watch were in fact innocent.
The report released on Monday in Manama quoted former detainees who said that they had been subjected to instances of physical and mental torture during their interrogations and gave names of some of the torturers. The New York-based watchdog mentioned the names in its report.
However, Abdullah Al Durazi, BHRS secretary general, who was flanked by Joe Stork, HRW deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa and Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, a senior attorney at Dorsey & Whitney LLP, at the launch and accompanied Stork during meetings, told the local media on Tuesday that some of the security people who were named in the report were not involved in acts of torture.
His statement has irked those who fully supported the report and at an impromptu meeting on Wednesday evening, BHRS members said that Al Durazi had given a personal view that did not reflect the society views.
The members said that they had full faith in the HRW report and that they had no reservation whatsoever about it, setting themselves on a clashing course with their secretary general.
On Tuesday evening, Bahrain’s foreign ministry said that his country would look into the charges.
“The Government will now be examining the allegations raised within the report and its findings to ensure that Bahrain continues to meet international best practice in support of human rights,” Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa said. “If, during the course of this examination, it can be established that any events have occurred that are not in accordance with the law and international conventions, then these matters will be passed to the appropriate authorities to allow necessary action to be taken.”
Bahrain unequivocally condemns the mistreatment of any individual in custody and will not tolerate the slightest deviation from this position, Shaikh Khalid said.
