16 October 2026

Re: Your visit to Bahrain amid an escalating human rights crackdown

Dear President Macron,

We, the undersigned human rights organisations, write ahead of your visit to Bahrain, scheduled as part of your Gulf tour from 19 to 21 October, to urge you to place human rights at the centre of your discussions with King Hamad Al-Khalifa. Your visit comes amid Bahrain’s most severe crackdown on dissent since 2011, raising serious concerns that closer political and security cooperation with France could embolden the Bahraini authorities at a time of escalating repression.

We recognise the importance of regional security and stability, particularly amid the ongoing conflict. However, these objectives should not come at the expense of fundamental human rights or overlook serious ongoing abuses.

Since the outbreak of the Iran–US–Israel war, the Bahraini authorities have intensified their crackdown on fundamental freedoms:

• More than 700 people have been arrested, including children. Dozens have received lengthy prison sentences following unfair trials, including life sentences as documented by Al Amal Center for Human Rights and Justice and Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD).
• In April, the authorities revoked the citizenship of 69 Bahrainis, including 33 children, the youngest just 19 days old, leaving the majority stateless.
• In an unprecedented crackdown on Shia clerics, at least 37 were arrested on 9 May. Currently 69 defendants are facing a mass trial, 56 of whom are in custody, including 46 clerics. According to reports received by BIRD, defence lawyers have raised serious allegations of torture, coerced confessions, fabricated interrogation records and serious violations of fair trial rights.
• In March, 32-year-old Sayed Mohamed Al-Mousawi died in custody after authorities forcibly disappeared him the previous week. His body was returned to his family bearing visible signs of torture.

These developments come amidst a longstanding pattern of arbitrary detention and impunity. Two European citizens, Danish-Bahraini human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja and Swedish-Bahraini prominent dissident Sheikh Mohammed Habib Al-Muqdad, have remained wrongfully imprisoned for more than 15 years since their initial arrest, as have prominent political prisoners Hassan Mushaima and Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace. Dr Al-Singace has been on a liquid-only hunger strike for more than five years protesting confiscation of his manuscripts. The four men, along with others in arbitrary detention, have been tortured and denied adequate medical care.

Bahrain also continues to impose the death penalty following proceedings riddled with serious fair trial concerns. There are currently 19 individuals facing the death penalty, 18 of whom have exhausted their legal remedies. We are particularly concerned about Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa, whose detention the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found to be arbitrary, and who called for their immediate and unconditional release.

In February 2013, France joined 43 other states at the UN Human Rights Council in raising concerns over political imprisonment, unfair trials and citizenship revocations in Bahrain. The European Union, including through its Special Representative for Human Rights and in human rights dialogues, has repeatedly called for their release, but more than 15 years after their arrest, some of those same prisoners, including EU citizens Al-Khawaja and Al-Muqdad, remain behind bars, and abuses continue.

President Macron, unless you formulate concrete calls to improve Bahrain’s human rights record, including chiefly the release of  human rights defenders and political prisoners, your visit risks legitimising Bahrain’s repression and sending a dangerous message to its rulers that they can continue imprisoning critics, persecuting religious leaders and stripping children of their citizenship without facing any consequences to their relations with France.

We therefore urge you to use your visit as an opportunity to press King Hamad to:

1. Immediately and unconditionally release Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, Sheikh Mohammed Habib Al-Muqdad, Hassan Mushaima, Dr Abduljalil Al-Singace and all others arbitrarily detained for exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
2. End the mass prosecution of Shia clerics, immediately and unconditionally release those arbitrarily detained and ensure independent investigations into allegations of torture, coerced confessions and serious violations of due process.
3. Restore citizenship to the 69 Bahrainis whose nationality was arbitrarily revoked in April 2026.
4. Commute all death sentences and establish an immediate moratorium on executions with a view to abolish the death penalty, and call for the immediate and unconditional release of Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa, in line with the findings of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

We respectfully further ask that France should:

• Ensure any further French security assistance is subject to effective and comprehensive human rights safeguards, and press Bahrain to grant UN human rights experts access to investigate serious violations.
• Conduct independent human rights impact assessments before concluding any agreements with Bahrain, and use ongoing partnership negotiations to secure concrete, measurable human rights improvements, including meaningful reforms and the release of those arbitrarily detained.

We urge you to raise these concerns publicly and privately with King Hamad and make clear that France’s commitment to regional security does not come at the expense of the fundamental rights of the Bahraini people.

We stand ready to provide further information and discuss these issues any time, and would welcome a response outlining what and how human rights issues were raised during your visit.

Yours sincerely,

1. Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD)
2. Advocates for Political Prisoners
3. Al Amal Center for Human Rights and Justice
4. Al-Monqith Organization for Human Rights (MOHR)
5. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)
6. Centre for Human Rights Monitoring and Social Assistance (CODHAS)
7. CIVICUS
8. Coalizione Italiana contro la Pena di Morte
9. Committee to Protect Journalists
10. Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM)
11. European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR)
12. FairSquare
13. Front Line Defenders
14. Global Voices
15. Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
16. Human Rights Association (IHD)
17. Human Rights First
18. Human Rights Watch
19. Humanity Diaspo
20. Humans Remain
21. Index on Censorship
22. Ligue Burundaise pour les Droits de la Femme
23. Moroccan Prison Observatory – OMP
24. Observatoire Burundais des Prisons (OBP)
25. Positive Result foundation
26. Reprieve
27. SOHRAM Casra
28. The Advocates for Human Rights
29. The FreeAlKhawaja Campaign
30. Union Chrétienne pour le Progrès et la Défense des Droits de l’Homme
31. World Coalition Against the Death Penalty

Their votes angered the King and prompted 37 of their colleagues in Parliament, including the Speaker of Parliament, to sign a petition calling for their removal.

During a parliamentary debate on 28 April, the MPs opposed a royal decree issued in 2024 that removed judicial oversight from all matters related to citizenship, classifying them as sovereign issues, and eliminated the possibility of legal challenge or appeal against citizenship revocations. The debate resulted in the approval of the 2024 royal decree, with 33 votes in favour, three against, three absent, and the Speaker not voting. The three who voted against the decree have since faced serious threats from the King, culminating today in the vote to strip them of their Parliamentary seats.

The vote came just one day after the authorities stripped 69 individuals of their citizenship on national security grounds for the government’s claims that they held “sympathy for and glorifying Iran’s sinful, hostile acts”. The mass revocation extended to the targeted individuals’ families and children, including infants. All individuals stripped of nationality in the revocation are Shia Muslims of Iranian heritage.

Two of the three MPs who later voted against the decree spoke in Parliament.

In a session published on the Parliament YouTube channel, Abdulnabi Salman emphasized the necessity of oversight in a just government, stating that “Always, the existence of oversight over any of the authorities would achieve justice and a sense of fairness and trust.” He also spoke out against collective punishments, adding, “It is true that whoever harms this country must be punished, but punishments must not be collective, God forbid, or be taken as reactions, because the matter relates to the fate, future, and trust of the people in the system and the judiciary.”

Mamdooh Al Saleh argued against the extension of the punishment to family members and stated: “…but what is the fault of the children and the grandchildren? They may have no guilt; they did not participate in their father’s crime or mistake.”

Three days after the debate, and following a meeting with UAE leaders, Bahrain’s King issued remarks to the press accusing the MPs of siding with “traitors” and warning that they must apologise to “the people” or face the same fate as those they were supporting: the stripping of their citizenship and deportation. His furious rhetoric suggests his personal views, in particular regarding the 2024 royal decree that he issued himself, and raises serious concerns of authoritarian abuse of power.

The King’s comments were welcomed by six Arab states, with the UAE and Kuwait expressing support immediately, then followed by Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Jordan.

Also today, Bahrain’s National Press Day, a journalist from Al-Ayyam was barred from entry to the parliamentary session due to a personal objection from the Speaker of the House of Representatives regarding a recent article headline.

Bahrain is ranked among the worst countries in the world for press freedom, placing 170th out of 180 countries in the latest ranking by Reporters Without Borders.

In response to today’s vote, Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Director of Advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said:

“No elected representative should face the threat of deportation and citizenship revocation for casting a vote against the King’s wishes. That they were forced to apologise to the King – and that their apology did not save them from destroying their career and future – exposes the reality of political life in Bahrain: under dictatorship, dissent is equivalent to political suicide.”

The Court of Appeal confirmed Mr Sharif’s conviction over comments made during a media interview in Beirut criticising Arab governments’ failure to defend Palestinians and framing their stance as a ‘surrender’. While the court maintained the guilty verdict, it ruled that the remainder of the six-month prison sentence would be replaced with a non-custodial measure, leading to his release from Jau Prison.

Although Mr Sharif is expected to be released, pending approval by the Public Prosecution Office, the court expressly affirmed the underlying conviction and adopted a legal rationale that further entrenches the criminalisation of peaceful political expression in Bahrain. The conviction itself continues to rest on provisions of the Penal Code that are incompatible with international standards on freedom of expression.

Commenting on Mr Sharif’s conviction, Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, advocacy director at Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, stated: “Ebrahim Sharif’s release is a relief, but it does not erase the fact that he was imprisoned for peacefully exercising his right to free expression. His detention was an assault on freedom of speech. Bahrain must abolish its draconian laws criminalising free speech.”

The appeals court’s decision to replace imprisonment with an alternative punishment mitigates the immediate harm of detention but fails to remedy the fundamental injustice of the conviction itself. Mr Sharif was punished for expressing political opinions on matters of public interest, conduct that is fully protected under international law.

Fundamental flaws remain unaddressed

The trial court’s judgment, now left substantively intact by the appeals court, remains flawed in three key respects.

Mr Sharif was prosecuted under Articles 165, 215, and 92 of the Bahraini Penal Code, provisions that are routinely misused to punish peaceful speech. Article 165 criminalises anyone who “expressly incites others to develop hatred or hostility towards the system of government.” Article 215 targets a person who “offends in public a foreign country or on [sic] international organization based in the State of Bahrain or its president or representative.” Both carry a prison sentence and a fine which cannot exceed 200 dinars, and are vaguely worded offences whose misuse to suppress legitimate political expression has been repeatedly identified by United Nations human rights mechanisms. The UN Special Representative on human rights defenders has warned that prosecutions under Article 165 for allegedly “encouraging hatred of the State” or “distributing falsehoods and rumours” frequently risked suppressing lawful expression. In 2018, in its concluding observations on Bahrain’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Human Rights Committee noted its concern for Bahrain’s imposition of serious restrictions on freedom of expression and “the large number of arrests and prosecutions of individuals criticizing State authorities or political figures.”

The judgment’s application of these provisions to Mr Sharif’s case is flawed in three specific respects.

First, the judgment reflects a profound misunderstanding of freedom of expression. Mr Sharif’s comments were political opinions criticising the foreign policy positions of Arab governments in relation to Palestine. The court treated these as criminal acts, applying Article 168’s prohibition on “false news” to what were plainly political value judgments. Calling a government “complicit” or “silent” is a political characterisation, not a factual claim capable of being proven true or false. The court’s reasoning collapses the distinction between opinion and fact, effectively criminalising political criticism itself.

Second, the judgment systematically overstates what Mr Sharif actually said, distorting his words beyond any possible interpretation. Mr Sharif called for boycotts, public pressure, and political change through public opinion, all of which are forms of peaceful civic action. Yet the court characterised these statements as incitement capable of “destabilising security and stability” and “undermining the longstanding social fabric,” and asserted a “direct link” to the likelihood of violence without identifying any evidence whatsoever of actual or threatened violence. The judgment simply assumes that calls for peaceful political pressure are inherently destabilising, a standard that would criminalise virtually all political speech.

Third, the judgment adopts a fundamentally flawed legal premise by asserting that the public and media nature of Mr Sharif’s statements removes them from the protection of freedom of expression. The court held that because the statements were made openly through a media outlet, they acquired a “criminal character” and fell outside constitutional and international safeguards. This reasoning is legally unsustainable. Freedom of expression exists precisely to protect public speech, including speech disseminated through the media. Political opinions expressed in interviews, broadcasts, or publications are at the very core of protected expression, not an exception to it. To treat media dissemination as a basis for criminal liability reverses the logic of free expression law and effectively renders all public political speech vulnerable to punishment, nullifying the right itself. Under international human rights law, the form, platform, or reach of expression cannot justify its criminalisation where the content is peaceful and political in nature.

Mr Sharif’s conviction demonstrates Bahrain’s continued failure to heed international recommendations and to bring its legal framework into line with its obligations.

Pattern of repression and conditions of detention

Mr Sharif’s arrest at Bahrain International Airport marks the tenth time he has faced detention, interrogation, or prosecution since 2011 for exercising his right to free expression. His continued imprisonment reflects a broader pattern in which authorities use vague speech offences to silence opposition figures, journalists, and human rights defenders.

During his pretrial detention at Dry Dock, Mr Sharif was held in appalling conditions marked by severe overcrowding and poor hygiene. Despite his advanced age (68) and medical conditions, his family reported that Mr Sharif was confined in unsanitary, overcrowded cells reportedly infested with bed bugs. Concerns regarding systemic deficiencies within Bahraini prisons have been raised by the UN Committee against Torture, which in 2025 highlighted persistent reports of overcrowding, insanitary conditions, and serious shortcomings in prison medical services, including at Dry Dock Detention Centre. The Committee warned that such conditions pose heightened risks to elderly and medically vulnerable detainees.

Violations of international free expression standards

Mr Sharif’s conviction violates Article 19 of the ICCPR, which protects the right to hold opinions and to impart information and ideas of all kinds. The UN Human Rights Committee has explicitly stated that “imprisonment is never an appropriate penalty for defamation” and has called on Bahrain to decriminalise criticism of governments. Mr Sharif’s case exemplifies Bahrain’s continued failure to bring its laws and practices into compliance with these standards.

Bahrain Public Prosecution issued a statement confirming the sentence.

Mr Sharif is a prominent democratic advocate, economist, and former Secretary-General of Bahrain’s National Democratic Action Society.

His conviction arises from a media interview conducted in Beirut, during which he called on Arab peoples and governments to support Palestinians and to end their ties with, and complicity in, Israel’s actions. 

Commenting on Mr Sharif’s sentence, Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, advocacy director at Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy: “This sentence sets a chilling precedent: a prominent public figure is being criminalised for standing with Palestine and challenging governments that have normalised relations amid Israel’s genocide. It signals a grave escalation in Bahrain’s assault on free expression and marks a new low for the Bahraini government.”

Sharif was arrested at Bahrain International Airport on 12 November 2025 upon his arrival from Beirut, where he had attended the Arab National Conference. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry published a statement later that day stating that he had been arrested for “spreading false news on social media and uttering phrases offensive to sisterly Arab states and their leadership.” The next day, Bahrain’s Office of Public Prosecution stated on Instagram that they had ordered his detention while the charges against him were investigated.

On 19 November 2025, Human Rights Watch and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy issued a statement calling for his immediate release.

This is the 10th time that Bahraini authorities have arrested, interrogated, or prosecuted Sharif since 2011, all on the basis of exercising his right to peaceful assembly and speech. 

Yusuf al-Jamri, a blogger, said that the authorities detained Sharif, former secretary general of Bahrain’s National Democratic Action Society, due to comments he made in Beirut to LuaLuaTV calling for Arabs and Arab governments to support Palestinians. The Bahrain authorities should immediately release him and end their long-standing practice of detaining people for their peaceful free speech.

“Governments should be ensuring they are taking action to prevent genocide and other crimes against Palestinians in Gaza, not detaining their citizens who make peaceful comments to support them,” said Niku Jafarnia, Bahrain and Yemen researcher at Human Rights Watch.

Sharif was arrested at Bahrain International Airport on November 12, 2025, upon his arrival from Beirut, where he had attended the Arab National Conference. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry published a statement later that day stating that he had been arrested for “spreading false news on social media and uttering phrases offensive to sisterly Arab states and their leadership.” The next day, Bahrain’s Public Prosecution stated on Instagram that the public prosecution had ordered his detention while the charges against him are investigated.

This is the 10th time that Bahraini authorities have arrested, interrogated, or prosecuted Sharif since 2011, all on the basis of exercising his right to peaceful assembly and speech.

He was sentenced to five years in prison in following his participation in the peaceful 2011 uprising in Bahrain. The authorities held him incommunicado for months, and at times in solitary detention, with no access to family members prior to his first appearance before the special military court. According to BIRD, He was torturedduring his detention, including sleep deprivation, sexual abuse, and beatings.

After being released on June 19, 2015, he was rearrested on July 11—three weeks later—for his peaceful criticism of the government in a speech he gave the day before. Authorities accused him of encouraging the overthrow of the government and “inciting hatred.” He was released one year later and placed under a travel ban.

The authorities rearrested Sharif on November 13, 2016, after he told the Associated Press that Prince Charles’s visit to Bahrain threatened to “whitewash” the Bahraini authorities’ crackdown on dissent. Authorities charged him with “inciting hatred” against the government.

They dropped the charges two weeks later, but then rearrested him in March, 2017, on the same charges relating to a series of tweets he published.

Between his arrest in 2017 and November 12, 2025, Sharif was arrested or prosecuted three more times, in 2019, 2023 and 2024, all for expressing peaceful views in social media posts.

Sharif’s case is not unique in Bahrain. Human Rights Watch has for decadesdocumented Bahraini authorities’ consistent arbitrary detentions of people for exercising their rights to free speech.

According to research by BIRD, an estimated 320 people are currently arbitrarily detained for political reasons in Bahrain, some of whom have been imprisoned since the 2011 pro-democracy uprising. Among them are some of the country’s most prominent human rights defenders and opposition figures, including Hassan Mushaima, Abduljalil Al-Singace, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, and Abdulwahab Husain.

Twelve of these prisoners are on death row, including Mohamed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa, whose imprisonment was declared arbitrary by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which also called for their immediate and unconditional release.

The UK and the EU have continued to sign trade deals with Bahrain without publicly calling on Bahrain to release the many political activists in detention, including Al-Khawaja and Sheikh Mohammed Habib Al-Muqdad who both are EU citizens. Just a few months ago, the UK signed a partnership agreement with Bahrain worth 2 billion GBP (US$2.6 billion).

“Governments allied with Bahrain should end their whitewashing of Bahrain’s abuses and place real pressure on Bahrain to end their violations against peaceful activists and the political opposition,” said Sayed Ahmed al-Wadaei, advocacy director at BIRD.

Sky news reported on 22 March 2024 that Bahrain’s Sovereign Wealth Fund took full ownership of McLaren becoming the “sole shareholder in McLaren Group after a recapitalisation of one of Britain’s most famous automotive names.”

Earlier this morning, Mr Sharif attended a police interview following a summon and was subsequently referred to the public prosecution which ordered 7 day detention pending investigation over social media posts that allegedly incite hatred against the regime, according to his lawyer and family.

If officially charged, he could face imprisonment under Article 165 of the Bahrain Penal Code which states that “A prison sentence shall be passed against any person who expressly incites others to develop hatred or hostility towards the system of government.”

His wife, Farida Ghulam, confirmed his arrest and reasons for detention over a post on X:

التهم الموجهة لبوشريف من قبل النيابة العامة تركزت على تغريداته الأخيرة حول شركة ماكلارين والموازنات التي تضخ فيها دون مساءلة مقابل موازنة مشاريع الاسكان واحتياجات المواطنين ، وكذلك التغريدة حول حريق منزل ستره المكتض ب 17 فردا من 4 أسر بحرينية . الحرية للشريف. #البحرين pic.twitter.com/ZkHrHbDccw

— فريده غلام (@Farida_Ghulam) March 25, 2024

[English Translation]
“The charges brought against Bushrif [Ebrahim Sharif] by the Public Prosecution focused on his recent tweets about McLaren and the budgets that are pumped into it without accountability in exchange for balancing housing projects and the needs of citizens, as well as the tweet about the fire in the Sitra house, which was crowded with 17 members of 4 Bahraini families. Freedom for Sharif #Bahrain.”

BIRD spoke to his lawyer who attended the interview at the prosecution office. Below are tweets which are under investigation.

Commenting, Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Advocacy Director at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD):

“These accusations are absurd. No one should be arrested for freely expressing their views or questioning how the government is spending public funds. McLaren’s leadership must speak out on his arrest or else their brand will be stained by Bahrain’s abuses.”

Social media posts which led to Sherif’s arrest

Sharif Post I:

{{وَقِفُوهُمْ إِنَّهُم مَّسْئُولُونَ}}
الانكار سياسة رسمية، وسردية “الشعب السعيد” تروجها أجهزة اعلام تافهة.

هل نصدق ما يردده المسؤولون ويجد صداه في الاعلام المتواطئ، أم نصدق ما تراه اعيننا وتسمعه آذاننا وتلمسه أحاسيسنا، عن مواطنين يعيشون فقرا مذلا، وبطالة مزمنة، وتهميشا وفوارق… pic.twitter.com/CVjFJt9hxd

— Ebrahim Sharif (@ebrahimsharif) March 24, 2024

Translation (English)
Posted 24 March 2024 (at 11.24AM GST)

{{Stop them, for they are responsible}}

Denial is an official policy, and the narrative of “a happy people” is promoted by superficial media outlets.

Do we believe what officials repeat and find resonance in complicit media, or do we believe what our eyes see, our ears hear, and our feelings sense about citizens living in miserable poverty, chronic unemployment, marginalisation, class disparities, and housing waiting lists that extend until the end of their days?

What the state spent on McLaren Racing last year is multiples of what it spent on housing projects. Do people die of despair or burning in their overcrowded homes because you prioritise your hobbies and games over the interests of the poor?

Sharif Post II (on thread to Post I):

ردا على سؤال وردني بشان تعليقي ان ما ضخته الحكومة في #مكلارين من خلال “ممتلكات” في 2023 أضعاف ما انفقته على الاسكان:

ميزانية مشاريع الاسكان 2023= 90 مليون دينار
(ملاحظة: المارشال الخليجي ايضا يمول بعض مشاريع الاسكان، لكن هذا التمويل خارج الموازنة وينتهي مع نهاية المارشال)

… pic.twitter.com/gv94AtQ0Q5

— Ebrahim Sharif (@ebrahimsharif) March 24, 2024

Translation (English)
Posted 24 March 2024 (at 9.22PM GST)
In response to a question regarding my comment that the government’s spending on #McLaren through “Mumtalakat” [Bahrain Sovereign Wealth Fund] in 2023 is multiples of what it spent on housing:

Housing Projects Budget 2023 = 90 million dinars [approx £189 million]

(Note: The Gulf Marshall Fund also funds some housing projects, but this funding is outside the budget and ends with the conclusion of the Marshall Plan)

Amount injected by Mumtalakat into McLaren in 2023 = 213 million dinars [over £447 million]

Post III:

"التاريخ يعيد نفسه مرتين، المرة الأولى كمأساة والثانية كمهزلة"
(كارل ماركس)

عندما تملكت البحرين كامل أسهم شركة طيران الخليج (بعد شراء حصتي ابوظبي وقطر) تضاعفت خسائرنا والمبالغ التي نحتاج لضخها سنويا لمنع افلاسها.

مع #مكلارين انتقلنا من المأساة الى المهزلة. لقد أكملنا دورة أخرى… pic.twitter.com/S8dKmiT3m5

— Ebrahim Sharif (@ebrahimsharif) March 23, 2024

Translation (English)
Posted 23 March 2024

“‘History repeats itself twice, the first time as tragedy and the second time as farce.’
(Karl Marx)

When Bahrain acquired full shares of Gulf Air (after buying shares from Abu Dhabi and Qatar), our losses and the amounts needed annually to prevent its bankruptcy doubled.

With #McLaren, we have moved from tragedy to farce. We have completed another cycle of owning failed companies with bottomless losses.

In the case of Gulf Air, it is possible—with some reservation about the management of the company—to understand the government’s continued support and funding as it is the backbone of Bahrain’s airport and its presence is crucial for the employment of a large number of Bahraini pilots and employees. But McLaren does not employ a single Bahraini, not even in the rank of a messenger, so what is the wisdom in doubling our investment in a bankrupt company??”

Mr Sharif was released on Thursday 28 March 2024.

.@ebrahimsharif was released today. It is unclear if the case against him has been dropped or still stands.

He was arrested for his legitimate criticism of Bahrain taking full ownership of McLaren which is making massive losses.

Freedom of expression must be protected. https://t.co/izjQPQqNfM

— Sayed Ahmed AlWadaei (@SAlwadaei) March 28, 2024

• Today, the High Criminal Second Court of Appeal upheld the fine against Al-Khawaja where he was accused of breaking a plastic chair in protest of denying him his right to call his two daughters in exile and he was sentenced on 28 November 2022 to pay 60 Bahraini Dinars (equivalent to £133 UK Pounds or $160 US dollars). Since last week, this is the second case in which Al-Khawaja’s conviction was upheld by an appeal court after it refused him his right to appeal the initial judgement, according to his lawyers and family members.

• The court concluded today: “The court decided to accept the appeal in its general form but rejected its subject matter and upheld the appealed ruling.”

• In his letter to the judge today, Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja stated: “I anticipate that, once again, there will be obstacles placed to prevent my transfer from prison to the courtroom for the session dedicated to presenting my defence case, which is also my last opportunity to do so. As a result, I have instructed my defence lawyer to withdraw from today’s session in the event that he is unable to visit me prior to the hearing session or if I am not permitted to attend.”

• Prior to today’s hearing, his daughter Maryam Al-Khawaja sent a letter from her father to the Justice Minister that detailed his reason for withdrawing from the trial, exposing rights abuses and denial of due process, defending his positions, shedding lights on violations in Bahrain’s prisons whilst also criticising the UK government for backing the regime. 

• Read a full translated copy of his letter here (see Arabic original here).

• Al-Khawaja defended his action, stating: “Upon examining the file of this case and similar cases, it becomes clear that there is a complex network of laws, procedures, and security, legal, and judicial institutions working in unison to violate the rights of prisoners, especially those who oppose the regime, rather than protecting those rights.”

• The trial began today at 2PM Bahrain time in Bahrain’s High Criminal Second Court of Appeal, and comes after Al-Khawaja has been subjected to a series of new criminal charges as a form of judicial harassment in reprisal for his activism within the prison and to deny him any form of access to early release.

• This continued judicial harassment follows the European Parliament’s 15 December 2022 overwhelming adoption of an urgent resolution highlighting his case and those of other political prisoners, and calling for his release. 

• Al-Khawaja’s letter argued that the 19 cases the Government of Bahrain brought against him since 2004 are all related to his human rights activities, and have intensified since his receipt of the Martin Ennals Human Rights Award in 2022. Al-Khawaja ended his letter, stating: 

• “In conclusion, what happened and is happening to me is nothing but a model of hundreds of the worst and most severe cases against prisoners who are deprived of any voice or the ability to defend themselves. I will continue to use every legitimate means at my disposal to defend my rights and the rights of other prisoners. For me, surrendering or giving in is not an option. Any ruling issued by your court or any other court or judge will only reveal the true nature of the justice system in Bahrain and will not change the fact that justice has not been served.”

Other cases and pending charges.

• On 29 December 2022, Bahrain’s high court of appeal rejected his appeal on a separate charge which is related to insulting a civil servant.

• Al-Khawaja is also facing a potential charge of “inciting hatred against the regime” that could carry up to 10 years in prison. The charge is currently filed and “under investigation” at the public prosecution, and could be moved to trial at any time.

Maryam Al-Khawaja, prominent human rights defender and daughter of Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja commented: “I am not shocked by the court’s decision since the court is doing exactly what it is intended to do: violate rights and punish human rights defenders like my father.  My father’s letter says everything that needs to be said, not only about his cases, but also about the system of reprisals against human rights activists and the involvement of the British government.”

Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Director of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, commented: “Despite over a decade of unlawful imprisonment that followed horrific torture, Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja continues to inspire and is determined to defend his rights and others. Today’s judgement illustrates the corruption that lies at the core of Bahrain’s judiciary and its complete disregard for international standards.

Al-Khawaja’s exposure of the UK government’s role must compel it to end its complicity in the human rights abuses in Bahrain.”

• In 2012, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued a decision which deemed his continued detention to be arbitrary and in contravention of international law.

• In response, Stewart shouted: “Get stuffed. Bahrain’s a great place. End of.”, adding “Go away, I hate you” before subjecting Sayed Ahmed Alawadei to racist abuse ordering him to “Go back to Bahrain.”  Soon after, he added: “now you shut up you stupid man.”

• Alwadaei, the director of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), asked Bob Stewart as he was approaching Lancaster House, “Bob Stewart, for how much did you sell yourself to the Bahraini regime?”, adding “you were paid by them recently”, referring to a lavish trip to the country last month during sham elections where Bob exclaimed “God save the King of Bahrain” in a speech praising the country’s dictatorship. Stewart also claimed in a debate in the House of Commons this year that “Bahrain does not have political prisoners”.

• Alwadaei was injured by the Bahraini police in 2011 and subsequently imprisoned and tortured, and sentenced by a military court for taking part in a pro-democracy uprising in 2011.
  • Alwadaei fled to the UK in 2012 and was granted political asylum by the UK Home Office, where he later co-founded the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) and continued to advocate for the respect of human rights in Bahrain, expose violations and work to hold perpetrators to account, particularly with regards to death penalty and political prisoners. 
  • In 2020, Alwadaei was the recipient of the Index on Censorship award for his advocacy in Bahrain.
  • Alwadaei’s Bahraini citizenship was also revoked months after protesting against King Hamad’s presence at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2013, rendering him stateless in a blatant breach of international law and meaning he is unable to “go back to Bahrain”.
  • A report published by the UN Secretary General in September 2022 on individuals subjected to reprisals as a result of engagement with UN bodies stated: “The cases of Mr. Sayed Ahmed Al- Wadaei and several of his relatives were included in the 2018, 2019 and 2020 reports of the Secretary-General on allegations of arbitrary arrest, ill-treatment, removal of citizenship and reprisals against family members for Mr. Al-Wadaei’s continuous engagement with the UN. Mr. Al-Wadaei.”
  • A Bahrain news agency has published photos of Bob Stewart standing next to the Bahraini Ambassador to the UK and former PM Theresa May. Conversative Party Chairman, Nadhim Zahawi, was also at the event where he was an “honoured guest” and delivered a speech.

• Alwadaei has submitted a complaint to the Parliamentary Commission for Standards and the Chairman of the Conservative Party, Nadihm Zahawi, and is seeking legal advice to submit a complaint before the police.

Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Director of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) commented: “When I asked Bob Stewart about his links with Bahrain’s dictatorship, he told me “Bahrain’s a great place… I hate you … Go back to Bahrain” and said “now you shut up you stupid man”. 

“I still have the scars from where the authorities kicked me in the head, and if I went back to Bahrain I would face further torture and imprisonment. My family members are still suffering from reprisals. My brother-in-law, Sayed Nizar Alwadaei, is languishing behind bars in Bahrain’s jail after harrowing torture, in what the UN has deemed to be a reprisal for my human rights activities, and went on to call for his release.”

“I don’t believe I would have been told to “go back” to the country that violently tortured me if it weren’t for the colour of my skin. No one should be subjected to racist abuse, particularly for holding an MP to account for accepting lavish gifts from one of the world’s most repressive regimes, and then acting as its mouthpiece by publicly denying its notorious and extensively documented human rights abuses which have been condemned by the United Nations.”

Background:

• On 3rd December, The Independent revealed that Bob Stewart MP: “who declared “God save the King of Bahrain” during a speech received at least £10,000 worth of hospitality and travel from the country’s rulers, The Independent has learnt. Bob Stewart, who has also spoken in defence of the regime in parliament, has been paid to travel to the country on multiple occasions, with thousands of pounds spent on him each time.”

• Last month, Bob Stewart MP visited Bahrain as part of a four day trip, which was paid for by the Government of Bahrain, according to the parliamentary record.

• Bob Stewart intervened in a House of Commons debate in January on political prisoners in Bahrain stating: “I have very close contacts with Bahrain, and it would dispute those figures for the number of people utterly and completely. Bahrain does not have political prisoners; they are all prisoners who are there because they have committed a crime.”  

Recent joint work of BIRD with Human Rights Watch and Reprieve:

• An October 2022 report by BIRD and Human Rights Watch found serious and persistent human rights violations underlying the convictions and death sentences of cases of eight men, including pro-democracy protesters Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa who are currently at risk of imminent execution.
  • The report documents a litany of shocking human rights abuses including manifestly unfair trials and the use of torture such as electric shocks to the chest and genitals, sleep deprivation, beatings, and attempted rape, to coerce confessions from the eight death row inmates;
  • Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Interior Ombudsman and Special Investigations Unit are all beneficiaries of the UK government’s taxpayer-funded Gulf Strategy Fund, named in the report as being implicated in these abuses;
  • The Telegraph reported the UK government may have “broken its own rules by allegedly not properly assessing its financial support to Bahrain’s judicial system […] that would be a breach of the UK’s own guidelines” and that “the FCDO would not say” whether it had received assurances from Bahrain as its policy requires it to do.
• In July 2021, BIRD and Reprieve published a report that found a significant escalation in the use of the death sentences in Bahrain since the Arab Spring protests, with death sentences rising by over 600%.

Yusuf Al-Jamri (Claimant)

Yusuf Al-Jamri uses his social media as a platform to raise awareness about human rights and political status in Bahrain.  He has gained a following and prominence as a credible source of information. Yusuf currently has over 53.7K followers on Twitter. 

At the age of 16, Yusuf was detained and subject to torture at the hands of the Bahraini authorities. After the Arab Spring in 2011, Yusuf became politically active and participated in pro-democracy protests in the country. 

In August 2017, Yusuf was summoned, detained and tortured three times by the Bahraini National Security Agency headed at the time by Sheikh Talal Al-Khalifa. He was blindfolded, insulted, beaten up, tortured, sexually assaulted and threatened with rape. Yusuf arrived in the UK in October 2017 to claim asylum. In March 2018, he was granted political asylum by the UK Home Office. Since arriving in the UK in 2017, he has never travelled abroad. 

Yusuf’s iPhone was infiltrated in August 2019, when he was in England. Around that time, he had been tweeting about an incident which occurred on 26 July 2019, in which police had to forcibly gain entry to the Embassy of Bahrain in London in order to save a protestor, Moosa Mohammed (another past victim of spyware targeting by Bahrain), who had climbed on to the roof and was allegedly assaulted by embassy staff. The protest was to try to prevent two high-profile executions due to take place in Bahrain, against which there was widespread outcry from international human rights organisations, along with dissidents and activists, including Yusuf. Yusuf was streaming coverage of the protest on his Twitter account, some of which had over 160,000 viewers. Between 26 and 28 July 2019, Yusuf’s Twitter account had over 2 million viewers of his coverage of the events surrounding these executions. Just over one week later, his iPhone was infected by Pegasus spyware.

Yusuf Al-Jamri commented: “Since I was a child, I was subjected to psychological and physical torture at the hands of Bahraini officials. After my last torture experience in 2017, where I had my family members threatened with rape, I knew I could no longer stay in the country and so I left to seek asylum in the UK. 

I can’t express the pain I felt when I discovered that the Bahraini government had hacked my mobile phone. I couldn’t bear the guilt of knowing that the people I had contacted could have been placed in harm’s way due to the regime’s surveillance of my iPhone. I hold King Hamad of Bahrain responsible for this malicious act and for the torture I was put through by his agents. The Bahraini regime would not be able to commit this crime and violate my privacy without the tools provided to them by the NSO Group. I am determined to hold them both accountable so that I can protect myself and prevent others from suffering the same fate.” 

“I lived my last few weeks in Bahrain in 2017 under terror. The National Security Agency was headed by a member of the ruling family, Talal AlKhalifa, and his agents made it clear to me that no one could stop them and that they could destroy my life and those who are close to me. I was living in fear that they might take me for more brutal interrogation and torture at any moment. My life in Bahrain was in real danger, I took the earliest opportunity to leave the country with my family through King Fahd Causeway, then to Kuwait and from there to the UK where I claimed asylum.

It was not a light decision to take, I was a civil servant in Bahrain and I was surrounded by a loving family; all of this was gone and I had to start a new life in the UK.

The UK authorities granted me asylum and this gave me a real sense of safety. I thought the Bahraini authorities would not harm me further, until they hacked my iPhone.”

Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Director of Advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), commented: “Yusuf has undertaken a heroic action by taking on both the Bahraini government and NSO Group and starting the process of launching a lawsuit against them, despite the grave risk of reprisals for himself and those close to him. It is the right decision to take. While there is a precedent set by UK courts which gives individuals the right to sue states for hacking their devices, the case against NSO Group is yet to be tested.”

Monika Sobiecki, Partner of Bindmans LLP, commented: “We all have the right to feel safe in our homes and in our adopted countries. 

Yusuf’s case is important because it seeks to uncover how the long arm of authoritarian governments, such as in the Kingdom of Bahrain, operate to continue the abuse of activists beyond their borders using new technologies. 

The complacency of world governments in failing to reign in or even regulate intrusive surveillance spyware, in the face of the evidence emerging from Pegasus spyware litigation globally, is deeply concerning.”

Summary of the claim

• The claim arises from the targeting Yusuf’s iPhone by Bahrain, or an agent on their behalf, with NGO Group Pegasus spyware, an Israeli technology firm specialising in cyber intelligence services and products. 

• The Defendant and other States’ use of Pegasus spyware to target their political opponents has been extensively reported by various news organisations including the Guardian and the Washington Post.

• Several instances of infiltration by Pegasus of devices in England have previously been documented, including at the offices of the Prime Minister in July 2020. 

• The claim alleges that on or around 3 to 5 August 2019, while Yusuf was in England, his iPhone was infected with Pegasus installed by Bahrain, or an agent acting on its behalf, in collaboration with NSO. 

• It further alleges that Bahrain would have been able to control the camera and audio recording facilities on Yusuf’s mobile so as to secretly monitor and record activities. 

• The claim argues that the infection of his mobile therefore resulted in a wide-ranging invasion of his private life, further details of which are provided below.

• Yusuf is challenging the Kingdom of Bahrain and NSO Group over violation of his rights as follows:
  • The breach of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (and/ or the Data Protection Act 2018 – DPA);
  • Misuse of private information;
  • Harassment, contrary to the Protection from Harassment Act 1997;
  • Trespass to goods;
  • Personal injury. 
• As a result of the above, Yusuf suffered the following: 
  • Damage to or loss of tangible property;
  • Personal injury;
  • Distress
  • Anxiety;
  • Loss of privacy and loss of amenity and autonomy. 

Lastly, the claim argues that this damage to or loss of tangible property, personal injury, and other unlawful acts, were caused by acts or omissions in the United Kingdom, meaning that Bahrain is not immune, see section 5 of the State Immunity Act 1978 (“SIA”) and the recent decision of Mr Justice Julian Knowles in Al-Masarir v Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [2022] EWHC 2199 (QB).

The claimant is represented by Monika Sobiecki, Tamsin Allen, Tayab Ali, and Bartosz Kruk of Bindmans LLP, together with Siobhán Allen and Dearbhla Minogue of GLAN. 

Richard Hermer QC, Ben Silverstone and Darryl Hutcheon of Matrix Chambers are instructed as Counsel.

“Orange” of Reckon Digital and Bill Marczak (Senior Research Fellow at Citizen Lab) are providing digital imaging and forensics support. 

The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) has closely advised Yusuf and has been his first point of contact. BIRD documented the abuses he faced in Bahrain since 2017 and supported him after his arrival to the UK, including in making this legal challenge.

Read more on this story:

The Guardian: No safe haven? The Bahraini dissident still menaced after gaining UK asylum

Forbes: Bahrain Latest Country To Be Hit By Legal Action Over Cell Phone Spyware In UK 

Middle East Eye: Pegasus spyware: Dissident launches lawsuit against NSO Group and Bahrain 

Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa

13 August 2022

Your Majesties,

We, the undersigned, are writing to you concerning Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace, an academic, activist and blogger imprisoned in Bahrain whose health is declining rapidly. We respectfully urge you to secure Al-Singace’s immediate and unconditional release, and in the meantime, ensure he receives proper medical care, is protected from torture and other ill-treatment, and that his academic work is transferred to his family.

Abduljalil Al-Singace, 60, is serving a life sentence for his role in peaceful protests calling for democratic reform in Bahrain in 2011. He has been imprisoned for almost 12 years solely for exercising his human rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

Al-Singace has been on hunger strike since 8 July 2021 and has now exceeded 400 days without solid food. We are deeply concerned by the current state of his health as his blood sugar has reached an extremely low level. We are especially concerned that in flagrant disregard of his physicians’ orders, the delivery of multiple essential prescribed medicines has either been delayed or denied, including pills necessary for his nervous system and bodily functions, and eye drops.

Al-Singace suffers from post-polio syndrome and multiple other health problems, including severe intermittent headaches, a prostate problem, arthritis in his shoulder joint, tremors, numbness, and diminished eyesight. In January 2022, his neurologist requested a CT scan, but the authorities have reportedly refused the request to have the procedure performed at the Salmaniya Medical Complex, run by the Health Ministry. Instead, the authorities insist that the test be conducted at the King Hamad Military Hospital. But he does not believe that he would receive adequate and timely healthcare at King Hamad Military Hospital, given that he has yet to be informed of the result of an MRI scan of his shoulder taken there in October 2021. This delay amounts to a deliberate failure to provide healthcare in line with Bahrain’s obligations under international law. Given his fragility and pre-existing health problems, this denial of healthcare puts his life at risk and may lead to irreversible damage. Therefore, we call on the government to immediately provide him with adequate healthcare.

Al-Singace’s hunger strike is in response to the prison authorities’ confiscation of his book on Bahraini dialects of Arabic that he spent four years researching and writing by hand. 

On 18 July 2021, the authorities transferred him from Jau prison to the Kanoo Medical Centre, where he continues to be held. The same month, the Bahrain Ministry of Interior Ombudsman declared that his book could not be turned over to his family until a “legal decision” about its contents was made. In November 2021, a legal decision clarified the apolitical nature of the book, but government authorities have yet to return the book to his family. In March 2022, an Ombudsman representative visited Al-Singace, made baseless allegations about the book’s content and asked him to edit and resubmit the book for the authorities to review.

In July 2022, the UN Human Rights Committee repeated its call to the government of Bahrain to release Al-Singace along with other unjustly imprisoned human rights defenders including Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja and Naji Fateel. Today, on 13 August, Al-Singace marks 12 years since his initial arrest in 2010. He was subsequently unjustly re-imprisoned after a brief hiatus of 21 days in early 2011 and was re-arrested on 17 March 2011 during the uprising. Today also marks the 401st day of Al-Singace’s hunger strike.

We call upon you to release Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace immediately and unconditionally. We also urge you to ensure he receives his medication without delay and has access to adequate healthcare, in compliance with medical ethics, including the principles of confidentiality, autonomy, and informed consent, and is protected from torture and other ill-treatment. We also call on you to ensure that his work is immediately handed over to his family.

Sincerely,

Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)

Amnesty International

Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) 

​​Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) 

CIVICUS

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)

Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)

English PEN

European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR)

Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)

Human Rights Watch

Freedom House

PEN International 

Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)

Scholars at Risk

Background

Upon his return from London with his family, Dr. Al-Singace was arrested at the Bahrain International Airport on 13 August 2010. A detailed account of his torture allegations can be found in a report by Human Rights Watch published on 1 September 2010, which states:

“Al-Singace, who had spent the previous 15 days in incommunicado detention, told al-Buainain of having been handcuffed and blindfolded the entire time. Al-Singace said that his captors beat him on his fingers with a hard instrument, slapped him around, and pulled and twisted his nipples and ears with tongs.”

When the Arab spring erupted in Bahrain, government authorities released Al-Singace on 24 February 2011. However, he was soon rearrested 21 days later, on 17 March 2011. Since then, Al-Singace has remained in arbitrary detention.

In November 2011, the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry documented in a report that the police subjected Dr. Al-Singace to nightly beatings for two months while they held him in solitary confinement. The commission said that the  authorities targeted his disability by confiscating his crutches, making him “stand on one leg for prolonged periods” and by pushing his crutch “into his genitals.” The commission also found that the  authorities “threatened him with rape and made sexually explicit comments about his wife and his daughter.”