To All Living Things
Last Week's Column

Amnesty Action:
Death as a Result of Torture in Bahrain
by Kathy Gay

his week’s action from Amnesty International concerns the death of a 16-year-old student in Bahrain in July 1995. He had been taken into police custody on suspicion of having sprayed anti-government graffiti on walls near his home. After ten days in confinement, he was found dead, his body allegedly showing signs of severe torture. Amnesty International received reports that he and at least one other child had been sexually assaulted during their imprisonment.

One and a half years later, the Bahraini government has still not brought to justice those responsible for the torture and death of this young man.

Background Information

The use of torture by members of the Bahraini security forces is not uncommon. And this 16-year-old youth was not the first to die of it.

The story of torture in detention in Bahrain is similar to that of many other countries. Whenever governments ignore the acts of torture committed by their security forces, exhibit a lack of interest in investigating reports of ill-treatment, torture and deaths in custody, and fail to prosecute and hold anyone accountable for those deeds, torture will continue. Guaranteed.

How you can help

Join with Amnesty International in urging the Bahraini government to ensure that accurate and immediate investigations into all instances of ill-treatment, torture or death in custody are carried out without exception and those found responsible brought to justice.

Please send a letter to Bahrain’s Minister of the Interior as soon as possible, but no later than March 25, 1997. You may use the sample letter linked below or use it as a model to write your own letter. If you choose to use the sample letter, please cut off or delete all website information at the very top of the letter. If you choose to write your own letter, make sure that it is politely worded and non-partisan (i.e., not used as a vehicle for political expression). Care must be taken to ensure that nothing is written that will cause harm to any other detainees in Bahrain. Be sure to include both your name and address, as well as the date, on the letter.

U.S. airmail postage to Bahrain is 60 cents.

Questions?

If you have any questions, just post a message to me (Kathy Gay) at the Pub, and I will respond as soon as I can. I greatly appreciate your interest and support.

To see the sample letter for this action, please click here.

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Kathy Gay is a vegan, and has been a member of Amnesty International for nearly 10 years, where she has worked on numerous campaigns. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a business analyst for a leading California bank.

Kathy's column, To All Living Things, is a regular feature of VegSource On-Line Magazine.