Bahraini official sources on Monday denied allegations that some of the detainees who were at the trial session at the Lower National Safety Court on Sunday had been tortured or admitted into hospitals prior to their appearance.
“Some media and organization reports referred to beatings during custody and subsequent hospitalization last week and presented them as facts,” the BNA quoting official sources said.
“The genuine facts that we received from the Military Hospital and the Salmaniya Medical Complex, the largest hospitals in the country, are that neither hospital has admitted or treated any of the detainees. The hospitals stated that the rumours about the admissions and hospitalization were untrue and were fabricated politically-motivated news.”
The sources said that the reports invariably tended to portray the authorities as always attacking their citizens and that people who had been arrested for security-related activities were always victims.
“We feel that allegations sourced from groups with a specific anti-Bahrain agenda will always wade into controversy and we invite all those who are keen on news from Bahrain to develop a better understanding of the situation in the country,” the sources said.
“As has been stated by the Ministry of Social Development, tasked with the human rights dossier, the Bahraini government is fully aware of the number of people arrested, in custody, or released, and has made public such figures on an ongoing basis. Arrests have been in relation to specific criminal activities, rather than for any political or human rights activity, or for the exercise of legitimate rights of opinion or expression. Indeed, the non-governmental sectors (including local human rights groups and activists) continue their activities in Bahrain unhindered and with the support of the government,” the sources said.
The relevant law enforcement, investigative and judicial agencies are working to ensure the protection, safety, security and rights of all people in Bahrain, and to properly and lawfully investigate and prosecute serious security-related activities, the sources said.