MANAMA: The establishment of the Prisoners and Detainees Rights Commission (PDRC) is a major step towards preserving the basic human and health rights of the detainees in the prisons across the Kingdom, according to the PDRC Chairman.
“The establishment of the Commission is very significant in the field of human rights in the Kingdom of Bahrain,” the Chairman of the PDRC, Nawaf Al Moawda said while addressing a Press conference on Tuesday, adding that PDRC was entrusted with the inspection of prisons, detention, juvenile centers and other places where it is possible to detain individuals such as hospitals and psychiatric facilities.
“All PDRC members attended overseas training and observed actual inspections. The assistance of experts from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons for England and Wales (HMIP) and others in the field of prison inspections was sought to obtain experience and knowledge on the best practices of inspection procedures and to develop the necessary frameworks and guidelines to promote the rights of prisoners and detainees in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
“The establishing decree enables the PDRC to inspect the detainees’ conditions and the treatment they receive to ensure they are not subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment,” he added.
He also added that Commission’s Decree was in accordance with the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, ratified by the Kingdom of Bahrain in 1998. The decree has also taken into account the principles of the Optional Protocol of the Convention. It also complements the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI).
He also announced the release of its first inspection report. The Commission’s first inspection was an unannounced inspection to the Dry Dock Detention Centre (DDDC). The inspection was conducted over a four day period from 21-24 April 2014 with all of the PDRC’s commissioners participating in the inspection.
The Chairman of the PDRC, Nawaf Al Moawda, gave the details of an unannounced visit to the Dry Dock Detention Centre.
“The Commission inspected all buildings in the facility including wings, cells and conducted unmonitored interviews and had free interactions with the detainees in order to gather firsthand information on any issues, concerns or difficulties encountering them at DDDC. It used the Bahrain Ombudsman’s Standards for Visiting Prisons and Places of Detention as a basis for the inspection,” the Chairman of the PDRC, Nawaf Al Moawda, said.
The Commissioners, in their inspections, relied on:
A. Evidence Gathering: where evidence is derived from the DDDC staff, through access to documents and records in all sections, and from a review of the administrative system in DDDC.
B. Interviewing Detainees: provided information on detainees’ names, nationalities and age, bearing in mind that detainees are not classified according nature of their charges.
C. Observation: was carried out through the observing the conditions of the facility to assess suitability and that it are well equipped to ensure its compliance with international standards.