Police Officer and Four Policemen in the Dock

On 13 November 2010, and in an official statement, the Minister of Interior Shiekh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa ordered that an officer and four policemen to be put on trial for their assault

of a detainee in a police station - theft related case-. Assistant Undersecretary for Legal Affairs in the Ministry of Interior Mohammad Buhmood said that the order was based on a complaint made by the victim’s father regarding the assault of his son during his detention. Buhmood added that the case was investigated?as soon as the complaints were made, and the victim was referred to a doctor to document his injuries. He also said that the medical examination, which took place after five days of the incident, proved that the victim’s injuries were a direct result of an electric shock.

He also added that the officer and the policemen involved in the incident were summoned and interrogated. The accused claimed that the detainee had attacked and verbally insulted them. Buhmood also added that after the investigation was completed, the evidence showed that the assault had indeed taken place. The accused were then immediately referred to the High Military Court by the Minister of Interior.

Buhmood stressed that the Ministry of Interior is committed to applying the law and adheres to human rights principles. He stressed on the principle of accountability, describing what happened as an individual case and that the Ministry of Interior has never recorded any similar incident before that involved electric shocks.