Detainee Serving Life Term Sentence Calls on Int'l Monitors to Visit Prisons

Bahrain Mirror: Political detainee Sayed Abbas Al-Sayed Mahdi, who has been detained for 10 years and is serving a life term sentence, sent a letter from inside his prison to the High Commissioner for Human Rights in which he spoke about the systematic ill-treatment and harassment political prisoners have been subjected for years, calling on the international monitors to visit prisons to document violations.

In an audio message from his prison, detainee Sayed Mahdi said that "the prison administration is isolating some of us under claims and motives in order to retaliate against other prisoners," indicating that "security isolation lasted for years without specifying the period of punishment."

He stressed that the prison administration continues to prevent prisoners from practicing religious rituals, adding, "We only meet our families every one and a half month and for 30 minutes only and through a glass barrier. Only 4 people are allowed to enter the place of visits. Our uncles are also not allowed to enter."

He added "We are only allowed to go to the prison yard for 45 minutes every day. Does it make sense that one can make a phone call, walk and exercise in this short period of time?"

"We are only allowed 40 minutes of phone calls during the week at a high cost on prisoners expense, and we do not receive adequate health care," he said, noting that "many prisoners have become ill and some have been martyred because of the collective punishment policy."

Sayed Mahdi called on international monitors to visit prisons and document the ill-treatment and violations political prisoners are subjected to.

Arabic Version