A recent report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) in collaboration with Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) highlights Bahrain’s troubling record of detaining minors and employing abusive tactics to suppress dissent. The report asserts that these systematic practices contravene international law, raising significant concerns among human rights organizations.

Escalating Political Charges Against Minors

Despite a royal pardon in 2024 that resulted in the release of over 1,500 prisoners, including 40 minors, HRW and ADHRB documented a worrying trend of politically motivated charges targeting children beginning in April 2024. Numerous cases of torture, forced confessions, and denial of due process were recorded, leading to several detained minors initiating hunger strikes in late 2024, demanding their release or expedited trials.

Case Study: Abdul Aziz Husain Jaafar AlHammadi

One of the stark examples cited in the report involves Abdul Aziz Husain Jaafar AlHammadi, a 15-year-old arrested in October 2024 without a warrant. Following his arrest, he allegedly faced physical abuse during interrogation and was denied medical attention for an ongoing jaw condition. Detained for over six months without trial, his situation raises critical questions regarding compliance with Bahrain’s Restorative Justice Law for Children, which stipulates that pre-trial detention should not exceed 30 days.

Interviews Reveal Harrowing Experiences

In addition to AlHammadi’s case, HRW conducted interviews with eight men who were detained as children between 2013 and 2019. These testimonies uncovered disturbing accounts of physical and psychological abuse, including stripping, threats of sexual violence, and coerced confessions. One former detainee recounted his harrowing experience, stating, “During the interrogation, [the authorities] were hitting me, and took my clothes off, and threaten[ed] me with rape … [one officer] used to come and hold my testicles and tell me to speak and to confess.”

Legal Framework and Implications

Bahrain’s Restorative Justice Law, implemented in 2021, sets the minimum age for criminal responsibility at 15 while also permitting authorities to institutionalize children for “endangerment.” Critics argue that this provision effectively facilitates arbitrary detention of minors. ADHRB Executive Director Husain Abdulla expressed strong condemnation of the ongoing practices, noting:

“Any thought that Bahrain has turned a new leaf should now be completely stricken from memory. The amnesties seem to have only made space enough in Bahrain’s prisons for a new batch of children, suffering from the same torture, abuse, and neglect that we saw before. When will we see a real end to this brutality?”

International Standards and Continued Violations

The rights of children are safeguarded under various international treaties, including Article 37 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which Bahrain ratified in 1992. These articles prohibit arbitrary detention and torture, emphasizing the need for justice and humane treatment of minors.

Calls for Action

Since the onset of widespread anti-government protests during the 2011 Bahrain uprising, the government has employed a series of repressive measures against opposition groups through legislative restrictions and imprisonment. Recently, on February 14, 2025, 31 human rights organizations appealed to the European Union to intervene and secure the release of two European activists currently facing arbitrary detention and claims of torture in Bahrain.