On February 8, 2010, Human Rights Watch and Dorsey & Whitney released Torture Redux: The Revival of Physical Coercion during Interrogations in Bahrain, a 70-page report that examines the use of abusive interrogation techniques by Bahraini security forces. The report was released at a press conference in Manama, Bahrain that was attended by local and regional media, as well as the major wire services. Representatives of the U.S., U.K. and French embassies also attended.

The report concludes that certain groups of detainees in Bahrain have been subjected to the use of electro-shock devices, to suspension in painful positions and to various methods of beating among other abuses. The report is based on interviews with victims conducted during a week-long investigation conducted primarily by Dorsey in Bahrain as well as Bahraini-government documents, including medical reports by government doctors that actually (and crucially) corroborate the victims' accounts.

On February 10, Human Rights Watch and Dorsey presented the report at the House of Lords in London, an event sponsored by the Parliamentary Human Rights Group (which included a lunch in the House of Lords dining room). This event also was well attended by press and other interested parties.

For several days the Bahraini government disputed the report's validity, often on facially disprovable grounds. Eventually, Bahraini authorities took the position that they would examine the report's findings to ensure that violations have not occurred. We will monitor developments in an attempt to ensure that some reasonable investigation is conducted.

The report will likely be presented to the US Congress shortly.

The Dorsey team responsible for drafting the report included Joshua Colangelo-Bryan and Elizabeth Rozon, as well as summer associates Caroline Gardner, Ben Hellerstein and Carol Calfa.

A representative sample of media articles regarding the report (in English, Arabic and French) can be found at the links below as can the report itself.

http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2010/02/08/torture-redux-0

http://ericavebury.blogspot.com/2010/02/bahrain.html

http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2010/02/10/01011-20100210FILWWW00445-torture-bahrein-va-enqueter.php

http://news.google.com/news/story?pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=ar&ncl=dkGDYUpedZU66YMuiO6IUMGj2nM7M