12 February 2016

Bahrain: Student with Multiple Sclerosis Detained Without Medical Care

Jaw Prison Jaw Prison

On 26 January 2015, 21-year-old student Mohamed Faraj, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, was arrested from the courtroom after being sentenced by Bahrain's Fourth Criminal Court to seven years imprisonment for arson, illegal gathering and rioting. Mohamed was taken in his wheelchair to the Jaw prison, known for its "severe abuses" of prisoners, to serve his sentence. Concerned over his health, as he does not receive adequate medical treatment for his condition, Alkarama together with the Bahrain Forum for Human Rights sent on 12 February 2016 a communication to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health (SR Health), Dainius Pūras, requesting him to call upon the Bahraini authorities to provide Mohamed with adequate treatment.

Mohamed's situation deteriorated when, shortly after his arrest, in March 2015, members of the riot police stormed into the Jaw Prison following an outbreak of riots and tortured numerous prisoners, including Mohamed who was not only beaten but also subjected to sleep deprivation and extreme temperatures. Severely wounded, Mohamed was allowed to see the prison doctor but was still not presented to a specialist, leaving his multiple sclerosis untreated.

Worried that he may die without appropriate treatment, Mohamed's family, which is allowed to visit him monthly, submitted a complaint to Bahrain's General Secretariat of Grievances on 12 March 2015 and to its National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) on 15 March 2015, but to no avail. Left without remedy at the national level, the family turned to Alkarama and the Bahrian Forum for Human Rights in the hope that their work with the UN human rights mechanisms may lead the Bahraini authorities to grant Mohamed the most basic care for his condition, that is access to a specialist and to medication for his condition.

For more information or an interview, please contact the media team to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Dir: +41 22 734 1008).

Bahrain - HR Instruments

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

ICCPR: Accessed on 20.09.2006
Optional Protocol: Accessed on 12.09.1989

State report: Overdue since 20.12.2007 (1st)
Last concluding observations: -

Convention against Torture (CAT)

CAT: Accessed on 06.03.1998
Optional Protocol: No
Art. 20 (Confidential inquiry): Yes
Art. 22 (Individual communications): Yes

State report: Due on 15.07.2015 (initially due in 2007)
Last concluding observations: 21.06.2005

International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED)

No

Universal Periodic Review (UPR)

Last review: 05.2012 (2nd cycle)
Next review: -

National Human Rights Institution (NHRI)

National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) – Not accredited