Ombudsman Office’s delegation visits detention centre

Manama, (BNA): A delegation from the Office of the Ombudsman, led by the Director of Monitoring of Prisons and Detention Facilities, Hamad Salman Taqi, recently paid a visit to the Dry Dock Detention Centre. The visit is wihin the mandate of the Ombudsman Office to follow up on the activities and events provided to inmates and remand detainees to educate them religiously and culturally. The delegation was informed about the activities, events and programmes provided by the Dry Dock Detention Centre to the remand detainees in various cultural fields, in line with the directives of the Interior Minister, General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, and the Interior MInistry’s officials. The Monitoring of Prisons and Detention Facilities Director lauded the events and activities, noting that they reflect efforts to consolidate the respect for human rights within the detention facility, and create a positive human environment that encourages detainees to be involved in meaningful activities. He pointed out that the detention centre holds weekly awareness-raising religious courses in which many detainees take part, noting that 50 of them participated the holy Quran recitation contest within the facility and two in the Bahrain Grand Holy Quran Contest, held under HM King Hamad’s patronage. He added that the events and activities benefit not only Bahraini detainees, but also non-Bahrainis through cooperation with NGOs and diplomatic missions, praising the role played by DIscover Islam in this regard. He also affirmed that the activities and programmes are within the approach adopted by the Interior Ministry, represented by the Dry Dock Detention Centre and the General Directorate of Reformation and Rehabilitation, to provide a positive environment that allows detainees to acquire more knowledge and be involved in events held outside the facility, which will facilite their re-integration into society later. Colonel Abdulla Rashid Al-Shihi and the Dry Dock Detention Centre's officials accompanied the delegation during the visit.