Amnesty International says torture is still taking place in Bahrain and has called on the Gulf state to release prisoners convicted for taking part in pro-democracy protests last year.
Michael Hayworth, the Crisis Response Campaigner with Amnesty International Australia says cases of torture continue to be reported.
One year after month-long pro-democracy protests, the Gulf kingdom is at a political impasse, with Shiite protesters back on the streets despite a deadly crackdown by the ruling Sunni dynasty.
Police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters who broke away from an opposition demonstration and tried to head for Manama's former Pearl Square, focal point of last year's protests, witnesses said.
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Mr Hayworth says Hassan Oun, an 18-year-old student was arrested on 3 January 2012 from a garage in Arad. An official from the Public Prosecution Office ordered his detention for 45 days pending investigation.
Mr Oun told his lawyer that when he was initially held in a police station he was forced to stand for about 11 hours and that he had been beaten on his feet with a hose and threatened with rape, Mr Hayworth said.
The government "remains far from delivering the human rights changes recommended by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI)", Mr Hayworth told SBS.
More than 1,000 people dismissed from their positions during the unrest have still not been reinstated into their jobs, according to Bahraini trade unionists.
Amnesty called on Bahrain to release all prisoners held for participating in peaceful protests last year, and to bring to account all those responsible for human rights violations.
Amnesty also urged action to release protester Zainab al-Khawaja after she was arrested on Sunday while trying to march to Pearl Square. Khawaja was also detained for several days in December after taking part in a sit in.
EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton urged "calm and restraint," and said it is "indispensable" that the recommendations of the BICI report are implemented.
The death toll from last year's unrest was 35, including five security personnel and five detainees tortured to death while in custody, the BICI report said last November.
But Amnesty said "at least a further 20 have died since" in protests because of the continued use of excessive force by security personnel.
Activists have called for demonstrations on Monday and Tuesday at the former Pearl Square.
But in a warning to activists, public security chief Major General Tariq al-Hassan cautioned Bahrainis not to demonstrate, adding that security forces would not hesitate to respond to "those that want to take advantage... to carry out unlawful, irresponsible acts that threaten public order."
Hassan said the government "will prevent" such actions, but also appealed to citizens not to "escalate tensions," adding that police have already bolstered security.
SECTARIAN VIOLENCE
Dr Shahram Akbarzadeh is Professor of Asian Politics (Middle East and Central Asia) and Deputy Director of the National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies at the University of Melbourne.
He told SBS the pro-democracy protests and unrest added fuel to sectarian tensions in Bahrain.
"Bahrain is predominantly a Shia country, but it has been ruled by a Sunni dynasty, and the Sunni royal family has greatly relied on Saudi Arabia to maintain their hold on power.
"When the Arab revolution reached Bahrain... the desire was for an accountable government, but because of the religious composition of Bahrain in terms of the Shia-Sunni split, it has recently taken on a religious and sectarian nature," Dr Akbarzadeh said.
"There is grievance among the Shia population that is not represented in the government, because they are excluded from the body politics of Bahrain, and there is a desire and aspiration for them to be accounted for".
