Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): Seven days ago, Interior Minister Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, complained that "Bahrain is subject to biased reports from foreign parties and organizations and misleading media channels with the intention of questioning its national achievements." Two days ago, the Interior Ministry announced the "discovery of 3 positive Coronavirus cases among prisoners in Jaw Central Prison" and considered this to be an example of its transparency.

However, the achievements the minister is talking about are revealed today and so is the case of the transparency claimed by the ministry. In short, the minister and his ministry tell lies.

According to the ministry's official website, the families of prisoners and a number of activists have documented the infection of at least seven prisoners with the Coronavirus. There are reports of the spread of the virus among thousands of prisoners, which is a sign of a real disaster. 

Using this official link of the Ministry of Health, families entered the personal numbers of their imprisoned family members to discover the official lie and the lack of credibility of the Ministry of Interior and its minister.

Numerous calls from prisoners confirmed the transfer of large numbers of infected people for treatment, some of them in difficult health conditions. While the ministry said it had isolated a number of inmates who were in contact with the positive cases, one of the prisoners responded: We are piled up, and buildings are full of inmates, where the people in contact have been isolated? This is another Interior Ministry lie.

Back when the Coronavirus spread at the beginning of 2020, there were appeals from the families of the prisoners demanding the release of their family members, while prominent figures, most notably Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, warned of a disaster when the virus spreads among prisoners, but this fell on deaf ears as the government in Bahrain did not pay heed to all these appeals.

Instead, the authorities commissioned the National Institute for Human Rights (NIHR) to whitewash their crimes as usual. Thus, a delegation from the NIHR, whose members are appointed by the king, visited Jaw Central Prison (April 6, 2020) with the prison's director, Hisham Al-Zayani. It was a formal meaningless tour for taking photos and polishing their image only, after which the institute claimed that "all preventive, safety and health measures were in accordance with international standards".

Days later, a number of prisoners came out and recorded audio testimonies confirming that they were stacked together without health procedures and that all what the institute delegation who visited the prison had done was falsifying the horrifying reality of prisoners. Imprisoned journalist Mahmoud Al-Jaziri was the most prominent of those who spoke, so Hisham Al-Zayani punished him along with others who spoke the truth and placed them in solitary confinement, isolated from the world.

Arabic Version