Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): A campaign that was launched on Twitter last month brought torture back to the media scene in Bahrain.

Activists under the hashtag #Confessions_under_torture gave testimonies about the systematic use of torture by Bahraini authorities to extract confessions from defendants that would incriminate them in court.

Human rights activist Ebtisam Al-Sayegh pointed out that she was subjected to torture and sexual harassment in the National Security Apparatus (NSA) building, reiterating her demand to hold those involved accountable.

داخل هذا المبنى الحديث مارسوا بحقي أبشع أصناف التعذيب الجسدي والنفسي وصولا بالتحرش الجنسي .كان بتاريخ 2017/5/25 ، مازلت أطالب بمحاسبة المجرمين الذين يعتقدون أنهم فوق القانون وبعيدين عن العدالة #الإعتراف_تحت_التعذيب pic.twitter.com/8nmhd1h5ZD

— ebtisam Alsaegh (@ealsaegh) November 19, 2017

Activist Zainab Khamis said that Sami Mushaima, Abbas Al-Samee and Ali Al-Singace, who were executed on charges of killing Emirati officer Al-Shehi, were tortured for months in a row to force them to confess.

As for the vice-president of the Teachers Association, Jalila Al-Salman, she said that despite the multiple complaints she filed about the torture she was subjected to in 2011, there was no sign of them as if they had been thrown away in the trash.

رغم كل ما تعرضتُ له في 2011 ورغم تقديم شكاوى مختلفة وتكرار استدعائي للتحقق مما اوردته في شكواي وصحته؛ تم الحكم عليّ وتم تنفيذ الحكم وكنتيجة تم فصلي من عملي.. ولم يظهر أي أثر لشكوى التعذيب وكأنها لم تكن أو كأنها استقرت بسلة المهملات #البحرين#الإعتراف_تحت_التعذيب

— Jalila ALSalman (@Prisoner149) November 19, 2017

Member of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), Inas Aoun, chose to remind everyone of the confessions Ali Saqer made on Bahrain TV a few days before he died as a result of torture, displaying pictures of his body that clearly showed signs of severe torture.

اعترف الشهيد علي صقر بالتهم المنسوبة له وظهر على شاشة تلفزيون#البحرين ليقر بذلك ،،بعدها استلمته عائلته جثة هامدة وكان جسده كما تشاهدون في الصورة

#الإعتراف_تحت_التعذيب pic.twitter.com/Jdl7U28lWk

— Enas oun (@glorybahrain) November 19, 2017

The Gulf Institute for Democracy has confirmed that Bahraini security forces have tortured human rights activists, media professionals, politicians, dissidents and every citizen who has demanded democracy.

Account of "A Retired Bahrani" (متقاعد بحراني) reported that Al-Wasat Newspaper journalist Mahmoud Al-Jazeeri was subjected to enforced disappearance at the criminal investigations, which is notorious for its practice of torture, and was targeted for his work as a journalist.

Human rights groups including Human Rights Watch have confirmed that Bahrain resorted to torture to extract confessions from detainees. Manama did not respond to repeated requests to allow the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture to visit Bahraini prisons.

Arabic Version