DUBAI: Bahrain should investigate the death in police custody of three Shiites, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday, saying one of the bodies bore signs of physical abuse.

Bahrain has launched a security crackdown after its police forces quelled weeks of pro-democracy protests led mainly by its disgruntled Shiite majority last month.

The opposition says hundreds have been arrested and four have died in police custody over the past 10 days.
“It’s outrageous and cruel that people are taken off to detention and the families hear nothing until the body shows up with signs of abuse,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director.

“The authorities need to explain why this is happening, put a stop to it, and hold anyone responsible to account.”
HRW said it had seen the body of Ali Saqer, one of the men who died in police custody, and said that it bore signs of severe physical abuse.
Bahrain has accused human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, of doctoring pictures of the corpse.

Ali Saqer was charged with attempting to run over a policeman with his car last month. “We viewed Saqer’s body just prior to his burial and its condition was exactly as shown in the photo that Nabeel Rajab circulated,” Stork said.
The fourth victim, Shiite businessman Kareem Fakhrawi, died Tuesday in police custody, the main Shiite opposition group, Al-Wefaq said Wednesday.

“The death of … Fakhrawi in mysterious circumstances in prison has been confirmed,” it said.
The government denies there is torture in Bahrain and officials say all such accusations will be investigated. It has released 86 people who were arrested during the crackdown.