Rights groups say Bahrain police beat, threatened children

A report from the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy and Human Rights Watch accused police in Bahrain of rounding up and mistreating children as young as 11.
A Bahraini boy carries his national flag during the funeral of Ali Abdulghani, 17, whose family says died of injuries suffered in a police chase, in the Shiite village of Shahrakkan, south of Manama on April 5, 2016. / AFP / MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH (Photo credit should read MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH/AFP via Getty Images)
A Bahraini boy carries his national flag during the funeral of Ali Abdulghani, 17, whose family says died of injuries suffered in a police chase, in the Shiite village of Shahrakkan, south of Manama on April 5, 2016. - MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH/AFP via Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

Police in Bahrain have beaten children detained in protest-related cases last month and threatened them with rape and electric shocks, the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a joint report that accused prosecutors and judges of enabling the abuse.

Family members and a local rights advocate said police rounded up at least 13 children aged 11-17 in early to mid-February, some for reportedly burning tires or blocking roads. 

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