Washington, United States – The United States said Thursday it has shared concern with key partner Bahrain over prison conditions after inmates announced a hunger strike over their treatment.
Prisoners at the Jau prison, which holds dissidents detained when authorities crushed Shiite-led protests in 2011, have been subjected to 23-hour cell confinement and restrictions on prayer, according to the banned opposition and a rights group.
The Britain-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) said “hundreds of political prisoners” are taking part.
“We are aware of and concerned on the reports of this hunger strike,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.
He said Secretary of State Antony Blinken “expressed concern about some of these reports” during a July 20 meeting with Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdellatif al-Zayani.
“We urge Bahrain to continue to make progress on criminal justice reforms and ensure human rights standards are upheld,” Patel said.
Bahrain, whose Sunni monarchy has tense relations with Shiite cleric-led Iran, is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, which is at the forefront of the Gulf standoff with Tehran.
With support from a military force from neighboring Saudi Arabia, Bahrain crushed the 2011 protests which had demanded a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister.
Bahrain faced US criticism at the time, with former president Barack Obama imposing an arms embargo for four years.
But Obama’s successor Donald Trump fully embraced Bahrain, which won praise for recognizing Israel.