Bahrain Mirror: Family of detained Elias Mullah said that they resorted to the rescue police (Najda) to save their son's life in prison, after his health severely deteriorated, due to depriving him from cancer disease medications for 21 days.

The family stated that Elias has been banned from his medications since 21 days by the prison administration, after he was transferred from a building to another. They further stated that they approached the competent parties in the prison administration to allow him enjoy his right to treatment, however, they ignored the request.

They stressed that his health is severely deteriorating and that he was seeking help in his last call due to the painful complications, interruption of air conditioning and bad conditions in prison.

"We had nothing to do except calling the rescue police to seek their help on July 10. We told them about Elias's sufferings and the appeals to help him," they added. The family announced that the rescue police responded to the complaint and promised to move within two days, however, we received no call from any party.

The family said, instead of that, they received bad news about Elias by his cell companions. This made them seek the rescue police's help again on July 11. The police called the family later and told them that the officer on duty showed response and that measures have been taken.

The family visited Elias on Thursday (July 12). Elias said that he was surprisingly summoned and transferred to the clinic, where he was checked. He also received the medications he has been prevented from for 21 days.

"We, as a family who has a detained cancer patient son serving a prison term, are concerned about his life due to his immune deficiency amid the deteriorating conditions inside the prison," they stated, adding that they appealed the competent special rapporteurs to immediately take action to save prisoners of conscience in the Bahraini prisons, saying they "face slow death".

Elias was just 21, a fit and healthy young man, when he was arrested in 2012. In detention, they beat and tortured Elias and prevented him from sleeping, until he finally signed prepared confessions and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

In March 2015, he was a victims of collective punishment for weeks over what was known as Jaw Prison incidents. His mother stated in an article published on "IB Times" website that several police officers beat Elias violently on his stomach.

We discovered the cancer months later, in August 2015. Elias had been in prison for three years by then. The hospital staff gave us the diagnosis: stage 3 colon cancer.

"This year (2017), prison conditions have been steadily worsening. Elias is kept in filthy prison conditions, and trapped in his cell for 23 hours a day," she further stated.

Bahraini law states that a detainee suffering a life-threatening illness may have their penalty postponed. His lawyers send a letter to several parties demanding that, however, the letter never received a response.

The UK-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) helped us raise the issue in the British parliament, and we are grateful to Tom Brake MP, who asked the Foreign and Commonwealth Office if they will raise Elias' case with the Bahraini government.

Elias's mother criticized the negligence of the regulatory institutions that were formed under the British sponsorship; Prisoners and Detainees Rights Commission, Ombudsman and Special Investigating Unit, saying that "if such bodies and institutions actually existed, as Mr. Burt and the British Embassy in Bahrain insist, then Elias would not be dying in prison."

In October 2017, family of Elias said that he no longer wants treatment as a result of the degrading treatment he is subjected to by the Jaw Prison administration.

At least five detainees have died in prison due to medical negligence. This; however, did not succeed in prompting the prison authorities to change their procedures concerning this issue. "The Jaw Prison administration must look at his condition as a humanitarian case and release him immediately if they are interested in keeping him alive," his mother said. "Otherwise, they do not want him to live."

Arabic Version