The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) published today the opinion it adopted on 14 November 2025 during its 104th session regarding the detention of four Bahraini minors. These minors were sentenced to terms ranging from six months to three years and two months in prison, with two of them facing additional pending cases that could result in longer sentences. These Bahraini individuals were arbitrarily arrested and subjected to gruesome human rights violations, including torture, coerced confessions, unfair trials, and denial of education, family visits, and medical care. These prisoners are Abbas Muslem Abdali AbdulHusain Ali Juma, Ali Husain Ali Naser Hasan Matrook Abdulla, AbdulAziz Husain J. AlHammadi, and Aqeel Muslem Abdali AbdulHusain Ali Juma. The WGAD found that the minors’ detention was arbitrary under categories I (when it is impossible to invoke a legal basis justifying the deprivation of liberty), II (when the deprivation of liberty results from the exercise of freedoms of thought, opinion and expression, and assembly, among others), III (when violations of the right to a fair trial are so severe that the detention is rendered arbitrary), and V (when the detention is discriminatory based on birth, national, ethnic or social origin, language, religion, economic condition, political or other opinions, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status).
The WGAD notes, in its opinion No. 72/2025, that the complaint submitted by Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) on the four Bahraini minors highlights a recurring pattern of violations, consistent with those raised in other complaints. These violations include warrantless, pretrial detention for the legitimate exercise of rights and freedoms, limited access to judicial review, denial of access to lawyers, incommunicado detention, torture, forced confession, and multiple unfair investigations, trials, and convictions that appear designed to keep detainees deprived of their liberty. Accordingly, the Working Group urged Bahrain to remedy these grave violations by immediately releasing Abbas Muslem Juma, Ali Husain Matrook Abdulla, and AbdulAziz Husain AlHammadi, who remain imprisoned, providing compensation and reparations to them and to Aqeel Muslem Juma, who was released on 13 July 2025, conducting a full, independent investigation into the arbitrary detention of all four individuals, and taking measures against those responsible. Additionally, the WGAD welcomes the opportunity to conduct a country visit to assess the situation further.
Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) gladly welcomes and strongly supports the Working Group’s opinion and reiterates its call for the immediate and unconditional release of Abbas Muslem Juma, Ali Husain Matrook Abdulla, and all political prisoners. ADHRB also echoes WGAD’s demand for compensation and reparations for all four victims, along with a comprehensive, impartial investigation to identify and hold the perpetrators accountable.
“This opinion is not just about four boys – it is about a state that arrests children for protest, tortures them for confessions, and then calls it justice,” said ADHRB Executive Director Husain Abdulla. “When the UN Working Group finds violations under Categories I, II, III, and V all at once, that is a condemnation. Bahrain has turned its prosecution service into a conveyor belt for arbitrary detention, and its courts into rubber stamps for coerced confessions. The international community cannot keep pretending that ‘engagement’ alone will fix this. There must be consequences.”
The WGAD is one of the Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council. As part of its regular procedures, the Working Group sends allegation letters to governments concerning credible cases of arbitrary detentions. The Working Group may also render opinions on whether an individual or group’s detention is arbitrary and violates international law. The WGAD reviews cases under five categories of arbitrary detention: when it is impossible to invoke a legal basis justifying the deprivation of liberty (Category I); when the deprivation of liberty results from the exercise of the rights to equal protection of the law, freedom of thought, freedom of opinion and expression, and freedom of assembly, among others (Category II); when violations of the right to a fair trial are so severe that the detention is rendered arbitrary (Category III); prolonged administrative custody for refugees and asylum seekers (Category IV); and when the detention is discriminatory based on birth, national, ethnic or social origin, language, religion, economic condition, political or other opinions, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status (Category V).
The four Bahraini minors, aged 15 to 17 at the time of their arrest, were school students apprehended between August 2024 and January 2025 without arrest, search, or raid warrants. All were targeted for participating in peaceful pro-Palestine demonstrations in 2024. Abbas Juma and Abdulla were seized from the street, AlHammadi was arrested following a warrantless home search and raid, while Aqeel Juma was detained pursuant to a court summons. As none of the minors were informed of the reasons for their arrest at the time of apprehension, nor promptly notified of the charges against them, the WGAD determined that the authorities violated Articles 3 and 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Article 9(1) and (2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Article 37(b) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and Rules 7(b) and 119(1) of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules).
The Working Group noted that ADHRB established a prima facie case of arbitrary detention under international law, which the Government of Bahrain failed to rebut. It found that the Government’s general assertions that lawful procedures were followed were insufficient to counter the detailed evidence submitted.
The Opinion further records ADHRB’s submission that Abbas Juma, Abdulla, and AlHammadi were subjected to incommunicado detention ranging from 5 to 48 hours, preventing them from challenging the legality of their detention. The WGAD observed that the Government failed to refute these allegations or to demonstrate that the detainees had access to family visits or legal counsel, such as providing records of visit dates, phone calls, or other communications. It therefore determined that Bahrain violated Articles 6 and 8 of the UDHR; Articles 2(3) and 16 of the ICCPR; Principles 15 and 19 of the Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment; Principle 9 and Guideline 8 of the Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation; and Rules 43(3), 58(1), and 68 of the Nelson Mandela Rules.
Moreover, the WGAD found that AlHammadi was subjected to enforced disappearance during the first 48 hours of his detention, in breach of Preambular Paragraph 3 of the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, Article 2 of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, and Article 9(4) of the CRC.
Additionally, Abbas Juma, Abdulla, and AlHammadi were not brought promptly before a judge as required. The WGAD emphasized that because of their minor status, they should have been brought before a judge within 24 hours. While the Government of Bahrain asserted that all four individuals were questioned by the Public Prosecution Office (PPO), which subsequently ordered their detention, the Working Group emphasized that the PPO “cannot be considered an independent judicial body” for the purposes of Articles 3, 8, and 9 of the UDHR and Article 9(1) and (3) of the ICCPR. The WGAD also highlighted the prolonged pretrial detention of the four minors, which was repeatedly extended by the PPO, stressing that this must remain the exception rather than the rule. It further observed that the PPO is not capable of providing meaningful judicial review of the legality of detention. Accordingly, the Working Group found that Bahrain violated Articles 3, 8, and 9 of the UDHR, Articles 9(1) and (4) of the ICCPR, and Principle 10 of the Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment.
Based on these findings, the Working Group concluded that the detention of all four minors is arbitrary under Category I due to the absence of a legal basis.
The Working Group noted that ADHRB established that all four minors were arrested and prosecuted for participating in peaceful pro-Palestine demonstrations, expressing political views, and exercising their rights to freedom of opinion, expression, peaceful assembly, and association. Although the Government of Bahrain alleged that the minors had used Molotov cocktails and other violent means, it failed to provide detailed information or supporting evidence to substantiate these claims. In this context, the WGAD recalled a recurring pattern of harassment and repression of peaceful protesters by the Bahraini authorities. It further referenced concerns raised by UN human rights experts regarding the Government’s persecution of human rights defenders, including minors, for the legitimate exercise of their rights and freedoms.
Accordingly, the Working Group concluded that the four minors’ deprivation of liberty resulted from their exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association, in violation of Articles 18, 19, 20(1), and 21(1) of the UDHR and Articles 18(1), 19(1) and (2), 21, 22(1), and 25(a) of the ICCPR.
Therefore, the WGAD determined that the four individuals’ detention is arbitrary under Category II, as it stems directly from the exercise of the rights to freedom of opinion, expression, peaceful assembly, and association.
Given its determination that the detention of all four minors is arbitrary under Category II, the Working Group stressed that no trial should have taken place. It underscored that the four individuals “were subjects of multiple investigations, trials, and convictions that appear designed to keep them deprived of their liberty.” The WGAD expressed concern about a broader pattern in Bahrain of pursuing multiple criminal cases against minors, often involving confessions extracted under torture, incommunicado detention, and denial of access to legal counsel.
The Working Group further noted that ADHRB established that none of the four minors had access to legal counsel at all stages of detention. Although the Government stated that a state-appointed lawyer represented them “during the trial,” it remained silent regarding legal representation during the critical pretrial investigation phase. The minors were denied adequate time and facilities to prepare their defense, and even when counsel was present, communication was either restricted or entirely prohibited, undermining their ability to mount an effective defense. Accordingly, the WGAD found violations of Articles 3, 9, 10, and 11(1) of the UDHR; Articles 9(1) and 14(3)(b) and (d) of the ICCPR; and Articles 12(2), 37(b) and (d), and 40(2)(b)(ii) of the CRC.
The Working Group also considered ADHRB’s information that Abbas Juma, Abdulla, and AlHammadi were subjected to physical and psychological torture to extract confessions, thereby undermining the presumption of innocence—allegations the Government failed to convincingly refute. It emphasized that the authorities did not conduct prompt and impartial investigations or provide redress, even after receiving complaints. The WGAD, therefore, found Bahrain in breach of Articles 5, 10, and 11(1) of the UDHR and Articles 7, 10(1), and 14(1), (2), and (3)(g) of the ICCPR.
The WGAD also examined serious fair trial and due process violations, including the courts’ disregard of credible arguments and evidence presented by the lawyers of Abdulla and AlHammadi, and the reliance on coerced confessions to secure convictions. It held that such practices violate the right to a fair hearing, equality of arms, the presumption of innocence, individual criminal responsibility, and the principle of proportionality in sentencing, contrary to Article 14(5) of the ICCPR.
In light of these cumulative violations, the Working Group concluded that the fair trial and due process rights of the four individuals were gravely breached, rendering their detention arbitrary under Category III.
The WGAD identified a pattern of systematic restrictions on the four minors’ rights to freedom of thought, expression, peaceful assembly, and association, alongside serious violations of due process and fair trial guarantees. Having already determined that their detention stemmed directly from the exercise of protected civil and political rights, the WGAD considered that a strong presumption arises that the deprivation of liberty was also discriminatory in nature, particularly on the basis of political or other opinions. As the Government failed to refute this presumption with substantiated evidence, the Working Group referred to its own jurisprudence, as well as concerns raised by other special procedures mandate holders, the Human Rights Committee, and the Committee on the Rights of the Child. These sources point to a broader and recurring pattern in Bahrain of arbitrary arrests and detentions linked to individuals’ political views, consistent with the group’s findings under Category II.
Accordingly, the WGAD determined that the four individuals were deprived of their liberty on discriminatory grounds, in violation of Articles 2 and 7 of the UDHR and Articles 2(1) and 26 of the ICCPR, rendering their detention arbitrary under Category V.
The Working Group further expressed serious concern regarding the severity of the physical and psychological torture inflicted on the four minors, the denial of adequate medical care, and the lasting impact of their injuries, in violation of Article 25(1) of the UDHR and Articles 7 and 10(1) of the ICCPR. It also raised concern over the denial of continued education to AlHammadi and Aqeel Juma during their detention, contrary to Article 26(1) and (2) of the UDHR and Rules 104(1) and (2) of the Nelson Mandela Rules. The WGAD observed that this case reflects patterns identified in several recent opinions concerning Bahrain, indicating the possible existence of a widespread or systematic practice of arbitrary detention in the country.
Accordingly, the Working Group called on the Government of Bahrain to immediately and unconditionally release Abbas Juma, Abdulla, and AlHammadi, and to provide compensation and other reparations to all four minors, including Aqeel Juma, who had already been released. It further urged the authorities to conduct a full and independent investigation into the circumstances of their arbitrary detention, with appropriate measures taken against those responsible. The Opinion concludes by reiterating the Working Group’s readiness to undertake a country visit, at the Government’s earliest convenience, to engage constructively and provide technical assistance in addressing concerns related to arbitrary deprivation of liberty.
Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) fully endorses the WGAD’s findings and recommendations. ADHRB reiterates its call for the immediate release of Abbas Muslem Juma and Ali Husain Matrook Abdulla and for all pending charges against them to be dropped. It further echoes the Working Group’s demand that Bahrain provide all four individuals, including Aqeel Muslem Juma, with full compensation and reparations for the grave human rights violations they endured. ADHRB also renews its call for a comprehensive and independent investigation into the arbitrary detention of the four minors, including allegations of torture, coerced confessions, incommunicado detention, unfair trials, and the denial of education, family contact, and medical care, and urges an end to impunity for those responsible.
Update: On 2 December 2025, AbdulAziz Husain AlHammadi was released under Bahrain’s alternative sentencing program, which replaced the remainder of his custodial sentence with a non-custodial measure. The Opinion had been adopted by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on 14 November 2025, prior to this sentence replacement, and was published today on the Working Group’s website. In light of this development, ADHRB calls on the Bahraini authorities to annul AlHammadi’s alternative sentence, grant him full compensation and reparations for the violations he suffered in detention, conduct a thorough and independent investigation into his arbitrary detention, and take appropriate action against those responsible.
