Chan'ad Bahraini

Apparently, the government will be looking into claims that a Bahraini detainee was abused in Guantanamo Bay. Says the GDN:

An investigation is to be launched into allegations that a Bahraini prisoner was brutally beaten at the infamous US base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Claims that Juma Al Dossary was stamped on, kicked in the stomach and had his head smashed on the floor of his "cage" by eight or nine guards, will be investigated, Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary Yousif Mahmood pledged yesterday.

Certainly, I think this is a necessary step, as we need to make sure that torture does not take place anywhere. However, it does seem a little odd given the fact that similar things have taken place much closer to home here in Bahrain's prisons for many years and nothing has been said about it. To be fair, the King did hint towards the end of such practices when he initiated the political reforms process a few years back. I have not heard of any abuses since then, but there are still many Bahrainis here who (quite literally) bear the scars of torture from the previous era. There are many families who still bear the pain and anger over what happened to their loved ones in the past, and this will not be resolved until the government admits its former errors.

Despite the horrendous images that came out of Abu Ghreib, the system of democracy in the United States must be commended for admitting their failures (well, to an extent) and for launching a serious investigation in to the causes of it. I hope the lesson that we learn from Abu Ghreib is not that "all Americans are evil", but that "all torure is evil", no matter where it happens, who commits it, or who the victim is -- it is evil. In light of these events I hope that the New Bahrain has the moral will power to now recognize the importance of admitting and condemning our own dirty relationship with torture. Only then can we expect others to do the same.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 16, 2004 at 5/16/2004 02:47:00 pm. Permalink