We, the undersigned organizations, express grave concern over Bahrain’s escalating campaign of religious persecution targeting the country’s Shia Muslim citizens amid the regional tensions surrounding the recent war with Iran and during the 2026 Ashura season. Since February 2026, Bahraini authorities have reportedly arrested or summoned more than 600 individuals as part of an expanding crackdown targeting peaceful religious practice, freedom of expression, and peaceful assembly. Under the pretext of national security, Bahraini authorities have intensified arbitrary arrests, judicial harassment, restrictions on religious observance, and repression of peaceful expression, further shrinking civic space and violating fundamental human rights.
Documented violations between March and July 2026 reveal a systematic pattern of religious persecution affecting Bahrain’s Shia community. These violations target ordinary citizens, religious leaders, and political prisoners, and include:
- Arbitrary arrests and intimidation of citizens: Following the outbreak of the regional conflict in March 2026, Bahraini authorities exploited heightened tensions to carry out a wave of arbitrary arrests targeting individuals for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and religion. Those detained included individuals who expressed views on regional developments, participated in peaceful gatherings, or engaged in religious activities. Women and children were also among those detained, demonstrating the broad scope of the crackdown and its impact on ordinary members of the Shia citizens.
- Systematic targeting of Shia religious leaders: More than fifty Shia clerics, preachers, reciters, and religious figures were arrested or prosecuted as part of a coordinated crackdown on religious leadership. Authorities used terrorism-related charges to criminalize peaceful religious activities, while others faced deportation proceedings linked to their religious work. Many were subjected to enforced disappearance, secret hearings, denial of access to legal counsel and case files, torture and ill-treatment, and coerced confessions.
- Restrictions on Ashura religious observances: Mourning processions and religious gatherings were restricted, Husaini sermons and the participation of preachers and reciters were placed under strict security oversight, black clothing was prohibited, and Ashura banners, flags, and religious symbols were removed from public spaces. Several mourning ceremonies were prevented, while ma’tam organizers were subjected to summonses and threats. Dozens of participants, including children, were summoned or arrested for participating in religious rituals. Security forces also intensified surveillance, deployed plainclothes officers, and used excessive force, including tear gas, sound grenades, and rubber bullets, against peaceful gatherings protesting these restrictions.
- Violations of the religious rights of political prisoners: Moreover, authorities denied political prisoners the right to collectively observe Ashura rituals and restricted access to essential religious materials, including Qur’ans, religious books, and prayer items. In response, hundreds of political prisoners launched collective hunger strikes demanding respect for their religious rights, amid heightened risks posed by the regional conflict.
The ongoing violations documented during the 2026 Ashura season also occur against the backdrop of Bahrain’s longstanding repression of peaceful dissent, including the continued arbitrary detention of political opposition figures, human rights defenders, and other prisoners of conscience. Prominent detainees, including Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja and Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace, remain imprisoned after years of arbitrary detention, with persistent concerns over the denial of adequate medical care and Bahrain’s compliance with its obligations under international human rights law. Similarly, human rights activist and prisoners’ rights defender Ali Muhana was also summoned and arrested following his participation in a religious mourning ceremony. He remains detained, where he has been subjected to torture, ill-treatment, and medical neglect.
These practices constitute serious violations of Bahrain’s obligations under international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which protects freedom of religion or belief, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, liberty, and non-discrimination. Allegations of torture and ill-treatment further violate Bahrain’s obligations under the Convention against Torture (CAT).
In light of these ongoing violations, we call on the Government of Bahrain to:
- End systematic targeting of Bahrain’s Shia community and guarantee the right to freely practice religious beliefs and rituals without discrimination.
- Immediately release all individuals arbitrarily detained solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of religion, expression, or peaceful assembly.
- End the arbitrary targeting, arrest, prosecution, and harassment of Shia clerics, preachers, reciters, and eulogists. Remove all restrictions imposed on their religious activities and ensure they can freely perform their religious duties without interference or intimidation.
- End restrictions on Ashura observances and other religious ceremonies, and guarantee the right to freely practice religious rituals.
- Respect the religious rights of political prisoners, including their right to observe religious rituals collectively and to access religious books, prayer items, and other essential religious materials.
- Investigate all allegations of arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearance, and other human rights violations, and hold those responsible accountable.
- Immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners of conscience, including political opposition leaders and human rights defenders, who remain arbitrarily detained solely for peacefully exercising their fundamental rights, and ensure that all detainees receive timely and adequate medical care in accordance with international standards.
- Bring domestic laws and practices into compliance with international human rights obligations.
We also call upon the United Nations, including relevant Special Rapporteurs and other international human rights mechanisms, to urgently engage with the Government of Bahrain to address these serious and ongoing violations and ensure accountability.
Signatures:
- Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)
- CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
- Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
- IFEX
- European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR)
- Al Amal Center for Human Rights and Justice (AHRJ)
