NIHR pays field visit to Jau Correction and Rehabilitation Centre

Manama, Apr. 18 (BNA): The National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) said that it was informed about the report issued by the General Directorate of Reformation and Rehabilitation on Saturday, which indicated that a limited number of inmates had blocked corridors, refused to go inside their cells and violated instructions over the past days, resulting in hindering provided services, including calls and healthcare for other inmates, as well as in disturbing work procedures. The NIHR said that in line with its human rights and oversight role, and wide-ranging powers vested in it as per the law, it had dispatched a delegation to the Jau Correction and Rehabilitation Centre to be re-assured about the human rights and health situation of the inmates, inspect the buildings that witnessed these procedures meet a number of centre’s officials, and watch the video recording of the incident. Following its entry into the concerned buildings and the cells related to them, meeting with a number of randomly-selected inmates, as well as meeting with the centre's doctor to talk about the general health status of the inmates, the NIHR’s delegation found that the human rights and health situation of inmates is generally reassuring, and that what is being raised about their being beaten and transferred to an unknown location is incorrect, indicating that all inmates were present in the buildings. In its statement, the NIHR expressed its deep concern over the allegations aimed at creating a state of uncertainty among the inmates' families, stressing that dealing with inmates at the centre is done in accordance with a legal and civilised way, as well as with a high degree of self-restraint. In the same context, the NIHR strongly urged inmates to cooperate with it in case there are any legitimate requests related to their rights, noting that the actions they had carried out during the past three weeks had deprived the rest of the inmates of their right to enjoy health care and communicate with their families, according to the centre’s regulations, and that some of those deeds may put them in danger. The NIHR affirmed that based on its commitment to transparency, responsibility, credibility, and the protection and promotion of human rights, it will inspect the procedures and conditions in a timely manner, and inform the competent authorities about the human rights situation in Bahrain inside detention centres, by issuing a special report on the incident and submitting it to them. The NIHR also reaffirmed its keenness to ensure that inmates continue to enjoy their established rights and that they are not subjected to ill-treatment, as stipulated by the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, calling on inmates, at the same time, to abide by the provisions of the executive bylaw of the Correction and Rehabilitation Centre Law, and not to harm or violate the rights and freedoms of their fellow inmates.