Impunity emboldens Al Khalifa to continue torture: Author
Press TV has conducted an interview with Colin Cavell, author and lecturer from West Virginia, to ask for his insight into the continuation of torture of anti-regime detainees in Bahrain.
The following is a rough transcription of the interview.
Press TV: Are there any surprises, Mr. Cavell, that torture still continues in Bahraini jails just for speaking out against the regime?
Cavell: I’m not surprised, but we should know that the 23rd November this week marks the fourth anniversary since the issuing of the Bahraini independent commission report of inquiry (the BICI report), which King Hamad said he would rectify all of the problems that led to the events back in 2011.
And of course according to the United States Congress and others barely five or seven of those recommendations have been put in to place.
The torture continues, the intimidation continues, they making sure that certain people don’t get certain jobs continues which stripping people’s citizenship continues.
And as Human Rights Watch documented in its recent report just released as past week, people still being punched, kicked, stripped, naked, blindfolded, handcuffed and this is going on with impunity in the kingdom.
So, is there any surprise? No, Because Bahrain is getting away with impunity.
Press TV: And for how much longer do you think we’ll see such impunity, Mr. Cavell, because certainly this is not the first such Human Rights Watch to report? Many other human rights organizations have released such reports in the past about torture in Bahrain. How much longer do you think the West will stand by?
Cavell: Well, the situation is such that it’s caught up in the larger struggle going on in the entire Middle East area over Iraq and Syria etc.
And the United States is trying to hold on to its long-time allies despite the fact that they’re completely undemocratic and despite the fact we are supporting the most dictatorial governments in the face of the earth from Saudi Arabia to Bahrain and elsewhere, overthrowing and attempting to overthrow democratically-elected governments.
So, this is a much larger fight in Bahrain and unfortunately the good people of Bahrain are caught up in this major international struggle.
And this is something they’re going to have to decide on their own initiative whether the peaceful protest they’ve been pursuing is the correct course of action or not.
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