The Directorate of Monitoring, Detention and Correctional Facilities at the Office of the Ombudsman today carried out an inspection visit to the Jau Reformation and Rehabilitation Centre to be informed about the coordination procedures and arrangements made by the Centre’s administration to enable inmates to perform religious rituals related to the Ashura Commemoration, as guaranteed by law and its executive regulations.
The Ombudsman’s team collected information by asking samples of inmates about the subject in question, meeting the relevant officials from the Centre’s management and reviewing the recordings of the surveillance cameras installed in the buildings.
The concerned inmates told the Ombudsman’s team that they are allowed to practise Ashura rituals for this year, collectively on a daily basis and that their gatherings are organised by the inmates themselves under the supervision of the centre’s management in large halls that have been allocated by management for this purpose.
Inmates also revealed that banners and written slogans are placed and that they are allowed to read the books of supplications for these rites and make the necessary preparations without prejudice to the security of the centre and the safety of other inmates.
While reviewing the surveillance camera recordings located in the centre’s buildings, the Ombudsman’s team found that the inmates were allowed to practise religious rituals in a normal and regular manner and that they are able to participate in them according to the regulations in the place.
The centre’s management stated that there are continuous facilities to enable inmates to practise their religious rituals with ease in all buildings, and that they are allowed to gather in large halls and at specific times as stipulated by Law (18) of 2014 with respect to the issuance of the Reform and Rehabilitation Institutions Law.
The Ombudsman’s team concluded that the administration of the Jau Reformation and Rehabilitation Centre deals with the issue of freedom of religious rituals for inmates in accordance with the provisions of the Reform and Rehabilitation Institutions Law to enable inmates to perform these rites 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.
Source: Bahrain News Agency