Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): The Vice President of Salam for Democracy and Human Rights, Yousif Al-Muhafdah, said documented information confirmed that the Bahraini youth Ali Shuwaikh, who was deported by the Netherlands to Bahrain, is being held at the headquarters of the notorious Criminal Investigation Department in Bahrain.

"We are very concerned that the young man who was extradited by the Netherlands to Bahrain could be subjected to brutal torture, as torture is an official method practiced in Bahrain,"Al-Muhafdah told Bahrain Mirror in a statement.

"On behalf of Salam for Democracy and Human Rights, we express serious concern regarding the deportation of Bahraini citizen Ali Shuwaikh to Bahrain by the Dutch security services. According to documented information and communications we made, Shuwaikh is currently detained at the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters in Bahrain, a notorious HQ, where hundreds of dissidents have been subjected to severe torture, so we are deeply concerned about the safety of Bahraini citizen Ali Shuwaikh," he added.

He further stressed that "the deportation of Shuwaikh to Bahrain poses grave danger, especially since he was deported to a country that does not respect human rights, to a state where torture is systematic according to Human Rights Watch, UN special rapporteurs and many international organizations. More than ten dissidents have been killed under torture in Bahraini prisons, and hundreds have been subjected to torture, and all these cases are documented by UN committees as well as international organizations and bodies."

"Torture is systematic in Bahrain. Torture is a crime against humanity that violates international law, so we see that the Dutch authorities have deported a person against whom a crime against humanity could be committed, i.e. the crime of torture, which could affect the Netherlands' human rights reputation."

"We demand that the authorities in Bahrain immediately release Ali Shuwaikh and stop targeting the relatives of political prisoners and activists in Bahrain," added Yousif Al-Muhafdah. "We know that Ali Shuwaikh is the brother of Fayyad Shuwaikh, who was sentenced in a case. We have documented many cases of relatives of activists or detainees being targeted, such as the cases of activist Alaa Shehabi's husband, Zainab Al-Khawaja's husband and other examples that confirm that the Bahraini regime is targeting the relatives of activists and the families of political detainees for the purpose of pressuring them."

Arabic Version