UPDATE: On June 11, Saeed Mahdi, MSF employee from Bahrain who was held in detention from May 6, 2011, has finally been released. He is in good health, and no charges were filed against him during this detention period.
Brussels - An employee of the international medical organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been detained for weeks in Bahrain after being severely beaten upon arrest by authorities, with no information provided about his condition and whereabouts, including to his family and lawyer.
Saeed Mahdi was arrested in Bahrain on May 8, 2011, two days after his house was burned down by security personnel.
“Since Saeed Mahdi’s arrest, we don’t have any information about where he is being detained, why he was arrested, or what charges are pending,” said Jerome Oberreit, MSF director of operations in Brussels.
Despite assurances by the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Social Development that he could be visited, neither his family nor his lawyer has yet been granted access to him.
“Considering the types of injuries people have sustained due to mistreatment in detention, as witnessed by MSF medical personnel, we are extremely concerned about the safety of Saeed Mahdi,” continued Oberreit.
MSF is calling on the authorities to allow his family and lawyer immediate access to him.