MANAMA: Bahrain’s main human rights body has debunked claims by groups and individuals abroad that an inmate has disappeared from Jaw prison.
Zuhair Abbas was convicted of terrorism following a 2013 trial – and claims of his disappearance comes despite repeated visits to the prison by National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) teams, who have met him several times since last year.
Opposition groups with links to Iran have been allegedly pushing the false narrative about the prisoner since last year, and have now roped in his family to promote their agenda.
The NIHR asserted that Mr Abbas was in good condition.
“We received messages from Mr Abbas’ family last year that they did not receive a phone call from him, and were concerned about his well-being,” said NIHR president Maria Khoury.
“Our team visited the prison and found that he is well taken care of and personally chose not to communicate with anyone, including his family.”
Ms Khoury said there were no human rights violations as it’s the prisoner’s choice whether to communicate with his family or not.
“After this incident, social media campaigns were carried out claiming Mr Abbas was denied medical treatment. It is not true.
“Our teams visited him again and found that the antibiotics prescribed to treat his ear infection were not available in the prison health clinic and were hence supplied from outside after two days.”
Ms Khoury said the cycle of lies continues with many groups abroad now claiming that he disappeared from Jaw prison.
“During all our meetings, the prisoner refused to communicate with his family,” the official said.
“Civil society organisations abroad should respect the prisoner’s family and avoid spreading false reports, because it affects their loved ones.”
The GDN learned that the opposition-linked Lualua TV that operates from London recently aired footage of the prisoner’s family claiming that there has been no information about his whereabouts for more than six months.
Iranian news outlets in 2018 claimed that the cleric was forcibly moved out of the prison to a new location.
Meanwhile, Ms Khoury said the NIHR investigates all complaints and monitors social media to probe claims in a transparent manner.
“We take all complaints seriously and work towards humanity,” she added.
The watchdog registered 55 complaints and 589 requests for assistance last year from citizens and expatriates.
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