Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): Human rights organizations accuse the authorities in Bahrain of neglecting prisoners' health until their conditions deteriorate and their lives are in danger. Meanwhile, human rights activists argue that the security authorities adopt a policy of slowly killing prisoners of conscience.

Mr. Abdulwahab Hussein, the official spokesman for the Islamic Loyalty Movement and its founder, is now 68 years old, and suffers from several illnesses, one of which faffects his kidneys, and another hsi dental health. All of his medical appointments have been canceled, and he has been deprived of treatment. Activists say that his life is in danger.

One can recall a witness in recent memory, during the 1990s uprising, a religious scholar and preacher from Bilad Al-Qadeem emerged, Sheikh Ali Al-Najjas. He was blind and suffered from asthma. He used to speak with rare boldness, criticizing the authorities with clear words without equivocation, the masses used to search for the halls in which he speaks wherever they were. As a result, he was arrested and tortured. Cigarettes were extinguished on his body. They imprisoned him for a whole year and after his release, he returned bolder and stronger in his criticism. He was arrested once again in a raid on his house. After three months of his demands to go to the hospital to receive treatment for an asthma attack, he died alone in a solitary cell in the Kalaa prison in Manama at the age of 47, and was called the "Sheikh of Martyrs".

We also recall the dialogue that took place in 1997 between Mr. Hassan Mushaima, who was a prisoner at the time, and one of the Interior Ministry's senior officers. Mr. Mushaima told the officer in charge that the Sheikh was insisting that he should be treated and go to the hospital because he was unable to breathe: "We used to hear him but you didn't pay attention to him, until his voice was no longer heard. Then after a while you came and took him out on a wheelchair because he was apparently in a critical condition (...) It is your fault for arresting the Sheikh and holding him in solitary confinement for months while he is sick and blind."

The officer then responded to Mr. Mushaima, saying, "But the Sheikh died of sickness, not beating." Mr. Mushaima then replied, "This is murder. You put a sick man in a solitary cell and prevent him from oxygen and medicine... What is that called?"

In the 1990s, many were martyred in the same way, including Abd Ali Jassim Isa Yusuf from the Al-Naeem, Mohammad Abdullah Al-Sayyah and Maytham Al-Nasheet, who died due to health negligence during their imprisonment during the 1990s uprising. 

Also, since the beginning of the 2011 uprising until now, many have been martyred due to health negligence, including: Mohammed Sahwan, Mansour Sheikh Ibrahim Al Mubarak, Hamid Khatem, Ali Qambar, Sayed Mahmoud Al-Sahlawi, Hussein Barakat and Abbas Malullah, let alone the cases of killings under direct torture inside prisons.

Now, imprisoned opposition leaders are subjected to health negligence, including Mr. Hassan Mushaima, who has been suffering for years, Sheikh Abduljalil Miqdad, well-known activist Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, and the official spokesman of the Wafa Movement, Mr. Abdulwahab Hussein. 

Not only are the opposition leaders being subjected to medical negligence, but there are also dozens of prisoners who are still suffering. Many of them died following their release by authorities, after they made sure that they would die within a short period of time, and this is what really happened to many of them, such as martyr Ali Qambar.

This is the systematic negligence the security authorities practice, that's why the complaints of political detainees should receive special attention from the Human Rights Council, the International Commission for Human Rights, and the authorities concerned with prisoners' rights, because the consequences are serious and fatal.

Arabic Version