A human rights group in Bahraini has issued a report on the long-lasting effects of tortures among political prisoners during their interrogation and imprisonment by al-Khalifa regime.

In a damning report released on Monday, the non-profit Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) said it had found through interviews and medical reports that many victims were unable to resume a normal life due to “invisible wounds” that persist years after mistreatment.

The psychological effect of torture inevitably spills into the social life of the victims.

One of the victims told the organization that he was detained while taking a shower and was dragged naked on the street, where he was also beaten harshly.

He developed irritability and a deep-seated fear of being rearrested or of something happening to his family members. Fear of reprisal due to threats from the Manama regime forces later prevented him from attending therapy.

A female victim, who was forced to strip naked during an interrogation and sexually assaulted, whipped, insulted, and threatened with rape and the murder of her children, said she experienced self-hatred and contemplated suicide following the event.

Men were less likely to seek support out of a desire to appear “strong” and “tough”, the report said, while female survivors of rape struggled to resume social and intimate relationships.

Elsewhere in the report, the organization pointed out that mental health services are unavailable in prisons, where Bahraini authorities practice “extreme forms of medical negligence”, denying prisoners their basic rights.

The organization also argued Bahrain should pay reparations for victims of torture “as well as psychological support programs for the families of victims in order to raise awareness and empower them to create a safe environment for the victims”.

Last month, informed sources warned about inhumane conditions at Bahrain’s notorious Jau Prison, saying more than a dozen prisoners have been brutally beaten and subjected to various forms of physical torture in the detention center.