On 25 September 2013 in the middle of the night, members of the intelligence services and the riot police stormed into the 21-year-old's house and arrested him, without presenting an arrest warrant or explaining the reasons for his arrest. Taken to the Criminal Investigation Centre of Manama, Mohamed was detained incommunicado for three days during which he was severely tortured by being exposed to extreme temperatures, forced to stand up for prolonged periods and severely beaten. Confessions obtained during torture were used as the basis for the charges brought against him, which are "espionage for foreign countries," "participation in illegal gatherings" and "assaulting security personnel."

After this period, the young school bus driver was held at the Dry Dock prison in Al Hidd until 25 July 2014, before being transferred to the Al Jaw Prison where he is currently detained. Absolved of the charge of espionage, Mohamed was sentenced to five years imprisonment − reduced to three years on appeal − for participating in illegal gatherings, and currently awaits trial for the charge of assaulting security personnel.

Concerned over Mohamed's physical integrity, his family turned to Alkarama in the hope that this human rights organisation could help protect his physical and psychological health. In view of these facts, Alkarama seized the Special Rapporteur on Torture (SRT), asking him to call upon the Bahraini authorities to render Mohamed's sentence null and void, that he be retried by a fair and independent court and that the Public Prosecutor opens an investigation into the acts of torture committed against Mohamed.

"Even though Bahraini authorities deny the existence of torture in the country, acts of torture appear to be systematically practiced in order to extract confessions, which later serve as evidence to sentence victims to lengthy prison terms" says Radidja Nemar, Legal Officer for the Gulf in Alkarama.

Alkarama therefore calls on the Bahraini authorities to:

• Put an end to the practice of torture; and
• Ensure that allegations of torture are the object of impartial and independent investigations.

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