Ayat al-Qurmezi: Bahrain Royal Family Tortures Detainees
\nshiapost | July 21, 2011<\/p>\n
Ayat al-Qurmezi, Revolutionary Poetess of Bahrain<\/p>\n
She said in an interview with Al-Alam news channel on Wednesday: \u201cThere is no doubt about the government\u2019s official supervision over the torture, even some members of the ruling family personally take part in torturing detainees.\u201d<\/p>\n
Al-Qurmezi noted that some detainees have been killed under torture.<\/p>\n
She was arrested on March 30 after being caught on film reading poems critical of Bahrain\u2019s ruling regime to a group of protesters at Pearl Square in the capital Manama.<\/p>\n
In June, a military court sentenced the young activist to 12 months in jail, reportedly without any legal argument or her lawyer being allowed to speak.<\/p>\n
The 20-year-old poetess was released on July 13, but her sentence has not been revoked. She is currently under house arrest.<\/p>\n
She said that beating and electronic shocks are the most common ways of torturing in Bahrain\u2019s prisoners.<\/p>\n
In the latest development on Wednesday, Bahraini forces once again attacked peaceful protesters in several villages and towns surrounding the capital including Nuwaidrat, Sanabis, Eker, and Sitra.<\/p>\n
Anti-regime protesters have been holding demonstrations across the country since mid-February, calling on the Al Khalifa ruling family to relinquish power. …source<\/a><\/p>\n