Islam Times - Sheikh Ali Salman challenges Bahrain Interior Minister on torture dossier

Islam Times - Responding to claims from Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa that torture does not exist in Bahrain, the Secretary General of Al Wefaq – most prominent party of the opposition – called on the authorities to allow observers to come in and judge for themselves.

The Interior Minister defied in an interview those alleging corroborated torture in Bahrain to provide evidence substantiating their claims.

He asserted that torture is banned by the constitution and is punishable by the law in Bahrain.

"There is tough punishment for those convicted of torture and the Kingdom of Bahrain is committed to abiding by related international conventions and agreements in this respect," he said, affirming that those who make false allegations about torture will be challenged by the law.

Defiant Sheikh Salman noted that it was easy to make such statement when the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights had not been allowed into Bahrain to investigate such allegations of torture.

Regardless of what the state continues to claim, proofs of torture have been too many for anyone to ever claim that such abuses have not been committed.