Bahrain Mirror: A prominent rights activist, Ebtisam Al-Sayegh, quoted one of the detainees as saying that the administration of the Jaw Prison is preventing the inmates from performing religious rites, although they have filed formal requests for approval, which is met with either an unjustified refusal or no response at all.

One of the prisoners of conscience in an audio recording posted online by Al-Sayegh via her Instagram account said that when they practice and commemorate their religious rites, the Jaw administration punishes them through solitary confinement, beatings, depriving them of phone calls and preventing them from access to the prison's outside courtyard.

"Prisoners of conscience demand their right, supported by all divine and humanitarian laws, whose practice has resulted in additional punishment exercised against them in Jaw Prison," Al-Sayegh said.

Al-Sayegh referred to Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which states that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right includes freedom to change religion or belief and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or in private, to manifest religion or belief, in worship, teaching, practice and observance.

Arabic Version