automatic rifles, injuring hundreds, including Mustapha Hamdan, who later died of his wounds. In February, hundreds of protesters again took to the streets in several villages when the authorities refused to allow the funeral of three men who were killed by coastguard forces after escaping from Jaw prison a month earlier. The authorities continued to restrict access to Duraz village until May, where a peaceful daily sit-in continued outside the home of Sheikh Isa Qassem, the spiritual leader of alWefaq. On 23 May, security forces entered Duraz with hundreds of armoured vehicles, beating protesters, firing tear gas from armoured vehicles or helicopters and firing birdshot. Four men and a 17-year-old child were killed. In February, human rights defender Nader Abdulemam was arrested to serve a sixmonth sentence for participating in an “illegal gathering” and having called on people on Twitter to join a protest in Manama in January 2013. He was held as a prisoner of conscience until his release in June. In May, the Court of Appeal reduced Dr Taha Derazi’s six-month prison sentence to three months for taking part in an “illegal gathering” in Duraz in July 2016. He was held as a prisoner of conscience until his release in August. FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT The authorities maintained administrative travel bans that prevented scores of human rights defenders and other critics from travelling abroad, including to attend meetings of the UN Human Rights Council. In April, days ahead of the UN UPR of Bahrain, 32 activists were summoned by the Public Prosecution. The majority were charged with “illegal gathering” and banned from travelling. Most bans were lifted in July, after the UPR had been conducted. Similar tactics were used in September ahead of the UN Human Rights Council session in which the outcome of the UPR on Bahrain was adopted. 86 DEPRIVATION OF NATIONALITY Authorities obtained court orders to strip at least 150 people of their Bahraini nationality. The majority were effectively rendered stateless as they had no other nationality. No forced expulsions took place. TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT There continued to be reports of torture and other ill-treatment in custody, in particular of those interrogated about terrorism-related offences. In May alone, eight human rights defenders and political activists in NSA custody were reportedly tortured or otherwise ill-treated. Unfair trials continued and courts relied on allegedly coerced “confessions” to convict defendants on terrorism-related charges. Reports of ill-treatment in Dry Dock prison and Jaw prison continued, including the use of prolonged solitary confinement and lack of adequate medical care. After the escape of 10 prisoners from Jaw prison in January, new arbitrary regulations were introduced, including that prisoners must remain locked in their cells for most of the day. Prisoners’ legs and ankles were shackled whenever they left their cells, including to go to the medical clinic. Eleven opposition activists who remained in prison, including Abdulhadi alKhawaja, refused to attend medical appointments to protest the mandatory prison uniform, shackles and full body strip search required to attend the appointment. In March, the prison administration also reduced the length of family visits from one hour to 30 minutes and separated prisoners from visitors by a glass barrier. Student Ali Mohamed Hakeem al-Arab reported that he was tortured throughout 26 days of interrogation in February and March, including by having his toenails pulled out, being subjected to electric shocks and beatings, and being forced to sign a “confession”. In May, Ebtisam al-Saegh and seven other peaceful critics reported that they were tortured and otherwise ill-treated in NSA custody. (See above, Freedom of expression.) Amnesty International Report 2017/18