The Gulf monarchy has jailed hundreds of demonstrators and outlawed opposition parties since Arab Spring-inspired pro-democracy protests broke out in 2011 [GETTY]
Two rights groups accused Bahrain on Monday of abuse and threats against minors who had been detained over protests or their political views.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) said two separate investigations had uncovered the alleged abuse.
The Gulf monarchy has jailed hundreds of demonstrators and outlawed opposition parties since Arab Spring-inspired pro-democracy protests broke out in 2011. It denies holding political prisoners.
“Bahraini authorities have stolen many children’s childhoods by detaining and torturing them and denying them access to their families and to school,” said Niku Jafarnia, Bahrain and Yemen researcher at HRW.
A government spokesperson said Bahrain “categorically rejects these claims and is committed to protecting and promoting the rights of everyone, including children”.
“Bahrain will always investigate where there are credible accusations,” the spokesperson added.
HRW said it interviewed eight men who had been detained as minors between 2013 and 2019 and were released between 2019 and 2024.
The group also said it interviewed four mothers whose sons were detained after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, “either while participating in protests in support of Palestinian rights or because they had been perceived as protesting”.
“In most of the 12 cases, the children were beaten or threatened with torture, including rape, and most were denied adequate access to lawyers and to their families,” HRW said.
Bahraini authorities “abuse and threaten children detained in connection with protests and other forms of political expression”, HRW said.
The rights group said several had been forced to confess to crimes they did not commit.
One child lost teeth after being denied dental care, while another developed scabies and was denied medical treatment, HRW reported.
“Bahraini authorities should take urgent steps to end the abuse of children in detention,” it said, warning that “several were also denied access to education, in some cases for years”.
The ADHRB report said “since October 2023, Bahrain has escalated its crackdown on public freedoms, particularly after protests condemning the aggression on Gaza”.
In 2020, Bahrain normalised relations with Israel alongside the United Arab Emirates and Morocco, the first Arab countries to do so in decades.
In April 2024, Bahrain pardoned more than 1,500 prisoners, including nearly 40 minors arrested on charges related to freedom of speech, the group said.
Since then, “dozens of children have been summoned and arrested on fabricated charges linked to their political views or peaceful expression”, ADHRB said.
The group said it documented the detention of 11 minors who were “arbitrarily arrested” and “coerced into confessing under threats, psychological abuse, and physical torture”.
The government spokesperson said Bahrain had laws in place to protect children, and mechanisms including an independent Ombudsman to provide oversight.
