MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th April, 2021) The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed concerns on Friday over the excessive use of force by Bahraini police in dispersing a peaceful sit-in at the Jau jail in mid-April, calling on the government to investigate the crackdown thoroughly.
"We are disturbed by the use of unnecessary and disproportionate force by police special forces to dismantle a peaceful sit-in in Bahrain's Jau prison on 17 April. According to accounts received from eyewitnesses of the incident, special forces threw stun grenades and beat detainees on their heads, badly injuring many of them," OHCHR spokeswoman Marta Hurtado said.
The sit-in was triggered by the death of inmate Abbas Mal Allah, referred to as a "political prisoner" in the statement, reportedly from being deprived of timely medical assistance. Poor conditions, and specifically the lack of access to essential medical care, has become a "chronic problem" in overcrowded Bahraini jails during the pandemic, according to the UN agency.
OHCHR called on the government of Bahrain to "immediately launch a thorough and effective investigation into the violent repression of the sit-in at Jau prison" and work toward ensuring adequate medical care for inmates. The UN agency also urged Bahrain to provide information on 33 protesters who were reportedly moved from their regular detention facility after the protest and held incommunicado since.
