Profile in Persecution: Sayed Mohammed Hashem AbdulWahab

Updated: Sayed Mohammed Hashem AbdulWahab was a 17-year-old Bahraini minor and school student when Bahraini authorities arrested him on 3 July 2025 after summoning him to the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID) without providing any reason. During his detention, he has endured torture, coerced confessions, denial of family visits and access to legal counsel, unfair trials,[…]

During its Session on Bahrain, the Committee Against Torture Expressed Deep Concern over Ongoing Torture and Violations inside Prisons amid the Absence of Effective Accountability.

The United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT) convened in Geneva on 18 and 19 November 2025 to examine Bahrain’s fourth periodic report and assess Manama’s compliance with the Convention Against Torture. The sessions focused on evaluating ongoing torture and ill-treatment in Bahraini prisons, including documented cases reported by political prisoners, as well as the extent[…]

Ebrahim Sharif’s Arrest Exposes Bahrain’s Ongoing Repression of Free Expression

The Bahraini authorities arrested opposition leader and former Waad Society secretary general, Ebrahim Sharif, on 12 November 2025, on charges related to exercising his right of freedom of expression. Sharif remains detained to this day, underscoring the government’s ongoing repression of dissent and its use of silencing critics as a tool of control and intimidation.[…]

Migrant Domestic Workers Must Be Protected by Bahraini Law

In Bahrain, female migrant domestic workers (MDWs) face a multitude of obstacles in achieving rights and liberty. Class, race, religion and gender intersect to create barricades excluding MDWs from Bahraini society. With nearly half of Bahrain’s population made up of migrant workers, there are thousands of MDWs facing unjust working conditions. While Bahrain has officially[…]

Biometric Surveillance and Personal Data Protection in the Gulf: A Growing Human Rights Concern

Over the past decade, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have been enacting Personal Data Protection Laws (PDPLs) in order to better regulate the collection and processing of their citizens’ personal information. Even though these laws can be considered as an important step forward in safeguarding privacy in increasingly digitalized societies, they also raise important[…]