Ombudsman inspects arrangements to enable inmates to commemorate Ashura

Manama, July 24 (BNA): The Directorate of Oversight, Detention and Corrections at the Board of Grievances visited the Correction and Rehabilitation Center, Jaw, to inspect the coordination measures and arrangements taken by the center’s management to enable inmates to perform religious rituals related to Ashura, as guaranteed by the law and the executive regulations.

The Ombudsman team collected information by examining the arrangements and spaces designated for the Ashura rituals, interviewing the relevant officials from the management of the center, and reviewing the recordings of the surveillance cameras installed in the buildings.

The team found that the inmates were allowed to practice Ashura rituals for this year, as a daily program was set, starting from Wednesday, July 19, corresponding to the first of the month of Muharram, to enable them to perform religious rituals collectively daily.

The inmates revealed that written banners and slogans had been put up, and they were allowed to read prayer books, make the necessary preparations for those wishing, and distribute foodstuffs, while adhering to security and safety measures.

While reviewing the surveillance camera recordings located in the center’s buildings, the Ombudsman’s Office team found that the inmates were allowed to practice religious rituals normally and regularly, and that they were able to participate in them in accordance with the regulations in force in the place.

The management of the center stated that there are continuous facilities to enable inmates to practice their religious rites comfortably in all buildings, and they are allowed to gather in large halls and at specific times, as stipulated in Law (18) of 2014 regarding the issuance of the Correction and Rehabilitation Institutions Law in Article (27), as well as the executive regulations of the law issued by Resolution (131) of 2015, which gave the right to perform their rituals in Articles (51).

The Ombudsman team concluded that the management of the Correction and Rehabilitation Center in Jaw deals with the issue of freedom of religious rites for inmates in line with the provisions of the Correction and Rehabilitation Institutions Law to enable inmates to perform rituals in a balanced manner, by ensuring the security of the facility on the one hand, and the safety and comfort of other inmates on the other hand.

Rial