Bahrain: Arbitrary detention and torture of Minors

                        Case BHR 101198.CC
                           CHILD CONCERN


The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT 
intervention regarding the following situation in Bahrain.

Brief description of the situation:

The International Secretariat has just been informed by the Bahrain 
Human Rights Organisation (BHRO), member of the OMCT 
network, of acts of arbitrary detention and torture of  several minors 
in Bahrain during the month of October. 

According to the BHRO, nine minors were arbitrarily arrested, 
some of them were subjected to torture and seven are currently 
held in detention in numerous facilities centers in Bahrain.  

1. Sadiq Abdula Yousif, aged 12, and the son of Mahdi Abd Alnabi 
Al Marzuq (his name is unknown), aged 12,  were arrested in 
Duraz in October 1998 and are held in the Budaya Centre.  
According to the information, the minors were severely beaten at 
the moment of detention 
and OMCT fears for their physical and psychological integrity while in 
detention.  

2. Ayman Ali Ahmad Abdul Rasul and Imran Abdul Rasul Ali Abdul 
Rasul, both aged 14, and Ama'r Abdul Rasul Ali Abdul Rasul, aged 13, 
were arrested on October 13 1998 in Ikir.	

3. Mohammed Abdul Mohsin Jassim Abdul Nabi, aged 17, and Abdul 
Khaliq Jassim Mohammed Yousif, aged 14, were arrested on October 10 
1998 in Ikir.

4. Hamid Ali Yousif and Ismael Sayed Ali Seyed Hashim, both aged 17, 
were arrested on October 9 1998 in the area of Qadam and taken to the Al 
Budaya Centre.  According to information received, the minors were 
released after being tortured.

In its resolution adopted August 18, 1997, the United National Sub 
Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of 
Minorities noted that " a serious deterioration of the human rights 
situation in Bahrain including discrimination against the indigenous Shi'a 
Population, Extra judicial killings, persistent use of torture in Bahraini 
prison as well as the abuse of women and children who are detained, and 
arbitrary detention without access by detainees to legal advice"

Given the circumstances of their arrest and great number of grave 
violations of human rights in Bahrain there are grave fears for the 
security of the minors.

Most people arrested still have not been brought to trial and OMCT can 
only express its concern over their access to a fair procedural process.

Actions requested:

Please write to the Bahrain authorities urging that they : 

i.  take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and 
    psychological integrity of the aforementioned detained children 
    and order their immediate release in the absence of valid legal 
    charges or, if such charges exist, bring them before an impartial 
    and competent tribunal and guarantee their procedural rights in 
    all times;

  ii. carry out a full and impartial investigation into the alleged 
    arbitrary detentions and torture, in order to identify those 
    responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal, civil and/or 
    administrative sanctions provided by law;

  iii.guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental 
    freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national 
    laws and international standards, in particular those established 
    in the Convention against Torture and the Convention on the 
    Rights of the Child, ratified by Bahrain. 

Addresses:

His Highness Al-Shaikh Issa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, Office of His 
Highness the Amir, P.O. Box 555, The Amiri Court, Rifa'a Palace, Bahrain. 
Fax : + 973 668884. Telex : 8666 Qasar BN; 8500 Qasar BN
His Excellency Al-Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister, 
P.O. Box 1000, al-Manama, Bahrain.
Telex : 9336 PROM BN or 7889 PMPO BN. FAX: + 973 533033.
His Excellency Al-Shaikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of 
Interior, P.O. Box 13, al-Manama, Bahrain. Fax : + 973 276765 or 290526 or 
754303. Telex : 9572 PSMKT BN OR 8333 ALAMAN BN

  Geneva,10 November 1998

The Human Rights Action Network, a part of Derechos Human Rights, distributes appeals on behalf of victims of human rights violations. You are invited to join the network. Please check the date of the present action and do not write if it's over a month old.