A total of 211 complaints of alleged police misconduct were investigated by an independent watchdog, according to its latest report.
The Ombudsman Office in Seef District registered the above grievances from May 2023 until April last year against Interior Ministry personnel working in several directorates
Details have been revealed in the Eleventh Annual Report of the Ombudsman Office, which over the years has investigated several complaints, including against high-ranking officers, conducted surprise investigations into prisons and rehabilitation centres, and even debunked false reports and probed custodial deaths.
“The statistics for the operational year (2023-2024) show that the total number of grievances received was 520, inclusive of 211 complaints and 309 assistance requests,” said Ombudswoman Ghada Habib, in the latest report.
“These requests, for the first time in the history of the Independent Ombudsman Office, were all settled (100 per cent).”
She added that overall a total of 9,143 various grievances were registered since the watchdog’s inception in 2013 until April last year.
“Over the course of more than two decades, the continuity of human rights has witnessed what we can refer to as ‘bright prominences’ that have had a substantial impact in consolidating the philosophy of respect for human rights at the official institutional level,” added Ms Habib.
According to the latest report, of the 520 grievances and assistance requests registered majority of them (266) were by women and the rest by men.
Out of the 211 complaints, 30 were out of their remit, 23 referred to relevant bodies, two cases were pending investigation and 156 were listed under ‘resolved or not upheld’.
Twelve cases were referred to the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) and 11 tackled by the ministry’s Security Prosecution.
Comparatively, the office received a total of 743 grievances in 2022-2023 of which 542 were assistance requests and 201 were complaints.
The last report also stated that 14 complaints were referred to the SIU and five to the ministry’s Security Prosecution.
The watchdog documented a total of 496 complaints from May 2021 to April 2022, 209 complaints from 2020-2021 and 207 registered from 2019-2020.
The modes of registering the complaints were by email, initiated by the watchdog, mail, fax, visiting the Ombudsman Office in Seef District, via WhatsApp, or complaint boxes at prison facilities.
The latest report said that 57 complaints were filed against Public Security officers in the four main police stations of each governorate.
Out of these, one was referred for criminal or disciplinary proceedings, 51 were not resolved, and five were rejected.
Separately, five criminal investigations were also registered within the General Directorate for Criminal Investigations and Forensic Evidence and one at the Directorate of Protection of Public Works and Human Trafficking.
There were also two cases from the General Directorate of Special Forces, one from the Capital Governorate referred for criminal or disciplinary proceedings.
The report also has a section on action taken against different prison directorates and centres referred for criminal or disciplinary proceedings, eight at the Reformation and Rehabilitation Centre in Jaw, four at the Women’s Reform and Rehabilitation Centre and one at the Dry Dock Detention in Hidd.
Furthermore, similar to its previous publication, the latest report has a section on custodial deaths investigated by the Ombudsman team.
It cites case studies of five deaths, including a female prisoner in custody, that were probed, and in four cases police misconduct was not found.
One of the cases highlighted in the report was that of 22-year-old ‘Mr C’ who died on October 27, 2023 in Jaw prison. The findings revealed that the individual was admitted to the facility’s clinic after sustaining injuries from a violent altercation with other inmates.
Investigators visited the prison and followed protocol, including reviewing CCTV footage, which showed there were no cameras in the room where the brawl broke out following a verbal dispute.
Public Security force personnel present at the scene were interviewed and a criminal proceeding was underway by the Public Prosecution.
The report added that ‘Mr C’ suffered from a chronic illness, and after a full review with forensic and medical teams, it was found that “there was a suspicion of administrative misconduct by some officers who were present during the incident”.
The case was referred to the Security Prosecution at the Interior Ministry, and recommendations were issued to install surveillance cameras covering exercise yards and all rooms in the facility.
Meanwhile, Ms Habib mentions in the report that a new Division of Monitoring Children in Detention Centres has been established, with a set of mechanisms for its employees, who are trained to deal with this special segment and investigate their or their families’ grievances.
“In addition, the series of royal pardons benefitted many inmates, which is in line with Bahrain’s vision to promote the values of social cohesion and to provide rehabilitation and reform alternatives to inmates,” said Ms Habib, who became the first woman to be appointed in 2022 as Ombudswoman in Bahrain and in the GCC.
“The Independent Ombudsman Office has played a vital role in strengthening all national efforts to spread the culture and practice of respect for human rights in various fields.”
The establishment of the ombudsman – inspired by the UK’s ombudsman model – was based on recommendations by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI).
In 2011, the BICI report recommended the establishment of oversight bodies such as the Ombudsman Office – a police and prisoner ombudsman – to which there was no equivalent in the region.
The office was awarded the prestigious 2014 Chaillot Prize for the Promotion of Human Rights in the GCC region by the European Union (EU).
To register complaints against Interior Ministry personnel or seek assistance from the Ombudsman, visit www.ombudsman.bh, e-mail complaints@ombudsman.bh or call 13308888.
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