Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): The US State Department considered on Thursday (June 25, 2015) that the most serious human rights problems in Bahrain included citizens' limited ability to change their government peacefully, denouncing the ongoing violations against Shiites in the country.

In its annual report on human rights in the world, "we will recall year 2014 as the year of atrocities", the state department said that Bahrain witnessed "arbitrary deprivation of life; impunity for security officers accused of committing human rights violations; arbitrary arrest; violations of privacy; and restrictions on civil liberties, including freedom of speech, press, assembly and association."

The report mentioned that "the government at times imposed and enforced travel bans on political activists. The government maintained those revoked of their citizenships, and arbitrarily enforced a decree regulating communications between political societies and foreign entities."

"Thus, discrimination continued against the Shia population, as did discrimination based on gender, religion, and nationality," the report added.

The state department report saw that the decision to boycott the elections, which took place in November 2014, by the main opposition political societies came as a result of lack of confidence among opposition communities that the electoral system could produce a parliament that would address their concerns. Besides, the government did not permit international election monitors, the report stressed.

With respect to the arbitrary or unlawful deprivation of life, the report added that a number of government security forces committed arbitrary or unlawful killings and that impunity among law enforcement officials remains a problem.

The report also said that domestic human rights organizations reported prisoner accounts alleging being beaten, sometimes while they were blindfolded, and subjected them to sexual harassment, removal of clothing, threat of rape, and sleep deprivation. Officials reportedly placed detainees in solitary confinement, sometimes in extreme temperatures; poured cold water on them; and forced them to stand for long periods.

"The ministry of interior repeatedly denied torture was systematic. Human rights organizations reported authorities prevented some detainees from using toilet facilities, drinking, and eating. Other reports noted a similar pattern of abuse following arrest, including beating, harassment, and intimidation. Most detainees alleging abuse were Shia," the report further stated.

The report also indicated that "children are subjected to abuse and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. Human rights groups reported authorities detained children, sometimes under the age of 15 and subjected them to various forms of mistreatment, including beating, slapping, kicking, and verbal abuse."

The US State Department also pointed out that Al-Wefaq website reported that as of October, authorities had arrested 110 children under age 15. In December 2013, Amnesty International reported there were 110 children between ages 16 and 18 in Dry Docks Detention Center awaiting trial. In April, the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights reported 131 youths between ages 16 and 18 were in pretrial detention. In September, the government reported there were 22 children under age 15 in pretrial detention.

The report further read that the government continued to postpone indefinitely the visit of the UN special rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez.

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