Independent experts from the United Nations have called on Bahrain to ensure adequate food, water, and medical care for inmates at the Jaw Rehabilitation and Reform Center, following reports of severe conditions at the facility.
The experts’ plea comes amid allegations that prison guards have cut air conditioning during the island kingdom’s intense summer heat, potentially exposing detainees to dangerous temperatures.
In a statement released on Thursday, the U.N. experts highlighted troubling reports they have received since March, indicating that prisoners at Jaw, a facility known for housing many political dissidents, are facing significant challenges.
According to the experts, there are claims that air conditioning has been disabled, subjecting inmates to extreme heat, with temperatures reportedly reaching up to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).
The experts also reported concerns about inadequate medical care, insufficient food, and lack of access to safe drinking water.
Additionally, they noted that communication between prisoners and their families has been restricted, and inmates’ movements within the prison have been limited.
“Detainees held in some buildings of the prison are often being denied required medical care and do not have regular access to adequate food and safe drinking water,” the experts said. “Particularly worrying are allegations that authorities have cut air conditioning, exposing prisoners to extreme heat.”
This latest call for action comes a year after a mass hunger strike by prisoners at the Jaw Rehabilitation and Reform Center, a notorious facility that holds many activists opposed to the Al Khalifa ruling family.
The hunger strike had drawn international attention and raised questions about the treatment of prisoners in Bahrain.
In response to these allegations, Bahrain’s government has firmly denied any wrongdoing. The Bahraini authorities described the accusations as “false” and emphasized that prisoners receive the same level of health care as the general public.
In a statement to The Associated Press, Bahrain asserted that Jaw prison is internationally accredited and that the rights and services provided to detainees are upheld.
“The commitment to maintaining a safe and secure environment within all reform and rehabilitation facilities, alongside delivering high standards, continue to be in place and any suggestion otherwise is false,” the statement read.
The Jaw Rehabilitation and Reform Center, located in southern Bahrain, has faced scrutiny in the past.
Activists have previously raised concerns about the prison’s conditions, citing issues such as physical abuse, harsh disciplinary measures, and inadequate sanitary conditions and medical care.
The 2023 U.S. State Department human rights report on Bahrain reiterated these concerns, noting that conditions at Jaw could be “harsh and, at times, life-threatening.”
In June 2022, a reported tuberculosis outbreak at the prison further fueled concerns about its health care standards, although the Bahraini government later denied these claims.
Bahrain, a small island nation off the coast of Saudi Arabia, has been grappling with ongoing political unrest and human rights issues. The country has been involved in a decade-long crackdown on dissent following the Arab Spring protests, which saw widespread demands for greater political freedom from the island’s Shiite majority and other groups. In response to the protests, Bahrain, with assistance from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has detained activists, revoked citizenships, and shuttered independent media outlets.
In recent years, Bahrain has also made significant diplomatic moves, such as establishing formal relations with Israel and hosting Pope Francis in November 2022. Despite these international engagements, human rights organizations and international bodies continue to scrutinize the country’s treatment of political prisoners and overall human rights record.
As the heat intensifies and the situation at Jaw prison remains under observation, the international community is watching closely to see how Bahrain addresses these latest allegations and whether improvements in prison conditions will be made in response to the U.N. experts’ call for action.