UN Experts Urge Bahrain to Ensure Adequate Prison Conditions in Heat

Independent experts from the United Nations have called on Bahrain to ensure that inmates at Jaw prison receive adequate food, water, and medical care. This appeal follows allegations that guards have turned off air conditioning during Bahrain's scorching summer. The Bahraini government has dismissed these claims as "false," asserting that prisoners receive the same healthcare as the general public.

UN Experts Raise Concerns

The UN experts' request comes a year after a mass hunger strike at the Jaw Rehabilitation and Reform Centre. This facility houses many prisoners identified by human rights activists as dissidents opposing Bahrain's Al Khalifa family rule. The Sunni rulers of Bahrain have long faced accusations of discrimination from the Shiite majority on the island.

Since March, the experts have received "worrying accusations" about the conditions in the prison. They stated, "Detainees held in some buildings of the prison are often being denied required medical care and do not have regular access to adequate food and safe drinking water." They also highlighted allegations that authorities had cut air conditioning, exposing prisoners to extreme heat, with temperatures reaching up to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).

Government's Response

In response to questions from The Associated Press, Bahrain claimed it had obtained international accreditation for Jaw prison. The government stated that detainees' "rights and services... are upheld." They added, "The commitment to maintaining a safe and secure environment within all reform and rehabilitation facilities, alongside delivering high standards, continue to be in place and any suggestion otherwise is false."

The experts also noted that communications between prisoners and their families had been cut off, and prisoners' movements had been restricted. They said, "Lowering standards as a form of punishment when prisoners exercise their legitimate rights to complain is not appropriate." These experts work with the UN voluntarily and independently from any government or organisation.

Historical Context

Bahrain has been in the midst of a decade-long crackdown on dissent following the Arab Spring protests. These protests saw the Shiite majority and others demanding more political freedom. With support from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain suppressed these protests, imprisoning Shiite activists, deporting others, stripping hundreds of their citizenship, and closing its leading independent newspaper.

The 2023 US State Department human rights report on Bahrain highlighted activists' warnings about conditions at Jaw prison. It noted that conditions could be "harsh and, at times, life-threatening due to physical abuse, unjust application of solitary confinement as a disciplinary measure, and inadequate sanitary conditions and medical care." A tuberculosis outbreak reportedly struck the prison in June 2022, which was later denied by the government.

International Relations

Bahrain is home to the US Navy's Mideast-based 5th Fleet. Despite its internal issues, Bahrain has recognised Israel diplomatically and hosted Pope Francis in November 2022. Jaw prison is located towards the southern end of Bahrain, an island off Saudi Arabia's coast in the Persian Gulf. The island is about the size of New York City with a population of around 1.5 million people.

The UN experts' concerns over medical care at Jaw prison are not new. Activists have previously raised similar issues. The experts emphasised that denying essential services like medical care and adequate food as punishment is unacceptable.

Bahrain continues to face scrutiny over its treatment of prisoners and overall human rights record. The international community remains watchful as allegations persist regarding conditions within its detention facilities.