Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain said that political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Bahrain suffer from the far-reaching psychological and social effects of the torture they are subjected to, whether during arrest and interrogation, or during their imprisonment.

The human rights organization issued a report highlighting what it describes as "the hidden wounds that still remain in the psychological state and social relations of Bahraini torture victims after years of ill-treatment." The report includes testimonies of the victims themselves about the long-term psychological and social impact of torture on the lives of these prisoners.

The report states that when the Bahraini authorities arrest a person because of his political and social activities, the process of arrest, interrogation and detention is characterized by violence, whether by destroying and confiscating the property of the detainee's family, exposing his family to threats and terrorism, and this is often accompanied by insults and ridicule, according to the text of the human rights organization's report.

Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain adds that the various manifestations of physical and psychological torture to which political prisoners and prisoners of conscience are subjected in Bahrain during interrogation and during imprisonment leave a long-term psychological impact, including difficulty concentrating, nightmares, insomnia, memory loss, chronic fatigue, anxiety, and so on. .

The human rights report presents the testimonies of 4 victims in this aspect, and the report says that the Bahraini authorities "deprived prisoners of mental health care after depriving them of health services."

social damage

In addition to the psychological effects, victims of torture - according to the same report - after leaving prison are exposed to social difficulties in their personal lives, including their marital, family and professional lives, including the fear of their children that their parents might be arrested again, the inability to trust anyone, and the tendency to isolation, and some of the released prisoners left their jobs because of anxiety and tension.

The report reviews the testimonies of 6 victims who talk about the social effects they suffered as a result of torture during their imprisonment, including the difficulty of resuming their professional lives, the financial difficulties that this entails, and a feeling of shame within their families for not working.

The human rights organization's report concludes with a number of recommendations after consulting with a therapist who worked with Bahraini victims of torture. These recommendations are the need to conduct an impartial investigation into allegations of torture in order to hold the perpetrators accountable, to develop a program for torture victims to undergo diagnosis, to intervene as soon as allegations of torture are raised, and to provide compensation. Which includes physical and psychological treatment for the impact of torture, with the development of psychological support programs for the families of the victims in order to educate them and enable them to create a safe environment for the victims.