Ahmed Hamza AlSafi
Ahmed Hamza AlSafi was a 21-year-old student when he was arbitrarily detained, tortured, and denied his fair trial and due process rights by Bahraini authorities. Up until now, Ahmed has been held in Jau Prison for almost four years.
On 13 December 2017, Ahmed was sleeping at his house when masked officers in civilian clothing and riot police conducted a raid at 2 a.m. Despite not presenting a warrant or stating the reason for the arrest, officers raided the apartment and Ahmed was arrested. Ahmed was wanted for several cases, including the Bahraini Hezbollah case.
Following his arrest, Ahmed was disappeared for two months, during which the investigation occurred. His family had no information about his wellbeing or whereabouts and submitted complaints to the Ombudsman and the NIHR requesting a call with him. Despite repeatedly following up on this matter, there was no outcome. They were only able to meet with him after his transfer to pre-trial detention.
During his disappearance, Ahmed was at AlQalaa Prison, where he was kicked and beaten with batons. CID officers threatened to sexually assault his family members. Additionally, Ahmed was blindfolded for most of the investigation period and was forced to stand for long durations. He was interrogated without a lawyer, as he was prohibited from contacting her after his arrest. The torture was used to extract a coerced confession in the cases Ahmed was accused in; he ended up confessing, but his forced confession was annulled in court since it was extracted under duress. However, the court did not take into account the evidence provided stating that he was a student studying abroad in India.
           
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