(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - "There are so many prisoners who are under 20-year-old. One of them is my cousin, 16-year-old, who was tortured and beaten up. He was not even involved in any protests. He was standing outside his house when the crackdown happened," Bahraini activist Asma Darwish said on Friday.
"Some of the detainees, who were under 18-year-old, were subjected to sexual abuse and they were emotionally pressured," the activist added.
Bahraini activists also called for an end to the torture of children who are kept in the country's adult prisons.
"Many university students and school students have been arrested inside the campus and they were investigated," she said.
Protesters have been staging regular rallies in Bahrain since mid-February, calling on the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power.
Bahraini regime forces, backed by troops from Saudi Arabia, have killed scores of people since the beginning of the anti-regime demonstrations.
The demonstrators have pledged to keep up their protests until the downfall of the regime.
In November, the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry found the regime guilty of using excessive force, including torture, against protesters.
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