Bahrain to keep closer eye on police interviews

Bahrain is to install closed circuit television cameras in police interview rooms in a bid to crack down on human rights violations, it was announced on Tuesday. "The video and audio recording in interview rooms will be installed by August and that would help in investigating alleged cases of mistreatment," Public Security chief Major-General Tariq Al Hassan told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday. Announcing the progress being made by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, which is looking into allegations of abuses during anti-government demonstrations, Al Hassan said the CCTV equipment would also be used to expose false allegations made against officers, the Gulf Daily News reported. An independent ombudsman is also due to be established to look into allegations of abuse and external inspectors would also visit detention facilities, he said. "We have agreed on a memorandum of understanding with the International Committee for the Red Cross to access detention facilities to inspect them," he was quoted as saying. The report also added that authorities were investigating claims by human rights groups that some detainees were tortured at outside locations before being brought to police stations and complaints of excessive use of tear gas.