Introduction – The Manufactured Collapse of Democracy
Fourteen years after Bahrain’s pro-democracy uprising in 2011, the state has not only failed to engage in democratic reform—it has systematically destroyed every remaining space for participation, expression, and dissent. What remains today is a deeply entrenched authoritarian regime, reliant on surveillance, arbitrary arrests, discrimination, and repression.
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) issues this statement to highlight the alarming deterioration of democratic and human rights conditions in Bahrain in 2024–2025. This deterioration is deliberate. It is not the result of instability, but rather the conscious decision of a regime that fears accountability.
We shed light on the political, civil, and religious freedoms extinguished in Bahrain, while calling for meaningful international pressure to restore what has been forcefully erased: the people’s right to self-determination and justice.
Bahrain: Systematic Repression and the Erosion of Fundamental Freedoms – BCHR
Political Erasure – Dissolving Societies, Silencing Citizens
Bahrain’s crackdown on political participation is total.
All major political societies have been dissolved by the authorities:
- Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, Bahrain’s largest opposition group, was dissolved in 2016.
- Wa’ad (National Democratic Action Society), the leading secular party, was dismantled in 2017.
- Al-Amal and other smaller groups have faced similar fates.
Their closures were executed via politically motivated judicial orders, asset freezes, and smear campaigns accusing them of “terrorism” or “destabilizing the state.”
In 2018, Bahrain passed a “political isolation law” that bans members of dissolved societies, former prisoners of conscience, and critics from running for office or voting. This law strips thousands of citizens—many of whom were never formally charged with a crime—of their basic democratic rights.
The 2022 parliamentary elections were held under these oppressive conditions. All candidates affiliated with former political societies were disqualified. International observers were barred. Dissenting voices were silenced, resulting in a rubber-stamp parliament that cannot challenge royal authority.
The will of the people has been substituted with performative elections designed to maintain the illusion of democracy.
Application of Political Isolation Law against Bahrain Society for Human Rights – BCHR
Systematic Repression of Civil Society and Activists
The Bahraini government has relentlessly pursued its goal of erasing civil society.
Independent civil society organizations like BCHR and others are banned from operating legally in Bahrain. Offices are shut, websites are blocked, and staff face difficulties from imprisonment , travel banned, harassment or exiled.
Women human rights defenders (WHRDs) face specific threats:
- Ebtisam Al-Sayegh, a prominent WHRD, was detained, tortured, and sexually assaulted in 2017. She continues to face harassment, surveillance, and public defamation.
- Jalila Al-Salman, known for defending the rights of teachers and students, was previously imprisoned and continues to face exclusion from public life.
- Najah Yusuf, imprisoned in 2017 for criticizing the Formula One race, has been released but is still subject to harassment and a travel ban.
These women represent thousands whose activism has cost them their freedom, safety, or future.
Surveillance tools like Pegasus spyware have been used against activists, most BCHR members including BCHR’s Director Nedal Al-Salman, was targeted due to her advocacy at the UN. She has been under a travel ban in 2006 for few years, a common tactic used to silence defenders and prevent international engagement.
Members of BCHR targeted by Pegasus spyware – BCHR
Repression is not historical—it is ongoing.
Just this year, protester and peaceful activists, including children and the families of slain children, have been summoned for interrogation, and former political figures continue to be surveilled and threatened.
A Report on the Arrest Targeting and Discrimination Against Children in Bahrain – BCHR
Wave of Arrests and Suppression of Peaceful Protests in Bahrain (January–June 2025) – BCHR
The Closure of Free Media and the Criminalization of Expression
Freedom of expression has been annihilated.
- In 2017, Bahrain forcibly shut down Al-Wasat, the last semi-independent newspaper.
- Since then, no independent media outlet has been allowed to operate.
- International and regional journalists are denied entry.
- Citizens who express dissent on social media are arrested under vague charges such as “insulting the king” or “inciting hatred.”
Bahrain: A Nation Without Press Freedom – BCHR
The regime maintains complete control over the media narrative. Information is state-filtered. Dissent is criminalized. Bahrain now ranks 173 out of 180 in Reporters Without Borders’ 2024 World Press Freedom Index.
Dozens of journalists, bloggers, and online commentators remain in prison. The fear of expressing any opinion contrary to the government line has led to widespread self-censorship and silence.
Religious Freedom Under Siege
Bahrain’s Shia Muslim majority faces institutionalized discrimination and suppression of religious freedom.
Since the 2011 uprising, the government has:
- Demolished more than 35 Shia mosques.
- Targeted Shia clerics with arrests, travel bans, and citizenship revocations.
- Interfered in Ashura processions, sermons, and religious banners.
One of the most striking and ongoing violations is the denial of Friday prayers in Diraz, the spiritual center of the Shia community in Bahrain.
Since 2016:
- The central mosque in Diraz remains under siege every Friday.
- Worshippers face roadblocks, checkpoints, and harassment.
- The regime’s goal is to prevent collective prayer and community expression, even at the cost of disrupting public traffic weekly.
These acts amount to a sustained campaign against religious freedom, directly violating Bahrain’s international obligations under the ICCPR and the Arab Charter on Human Rights.
Denial of Friday Prayers and Ashura Repression in Bahrain: Religious Freedom Under Siege – BCHR
Arrests Without End – Criminalizing Peaceful Dissent
Arbitrary arrests continue unabated in 2025. Bahrain’s prisons still house hundreds of political prisoners, many of whom have been detained since 2011.
Recent cases illustrate this pattern:
- Peaceful protesters, online critics, and children as young as 14 have been detained in the last year.
- The fathers of two children killed by security forces were recently summoned by security forces in a show of intimidation.
- Former prisoners are excluded from housing rights, employment, and government services—facing lifelong punishment.
Wave of Arrests and Suppression of Peaceful Protests in Bahrain (January–June 2025) – BCHR
The government uses counter-terrorism laws to detain individuals without fair trials. International human rights organizations have repeatedly documented the use of torture, solitary confinement, and denial of medical care in Bahrain’s prisons.
High-profile prisoners like BCHR’s founder Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, Abduljalil Al-Singace, and Hassan Mushaima continue to be denied adequate medical treatment despite worsening health conditions.
Abdulhadi Al‑Khawaja: The Mandela of Bahrain and the Voice of a Silenced Nation – BCHR
Conclusion and Call to Action
Bahrain’s continued assault on democracy is deliberate, systematic, and state-sanctioned.
Every avenue for dissent is closed.
Every attempt at reform is punished.
Every right is conditional on silence.
“Bahrain silenced its people, revoked their citizenship, banned their voices—but it cannot erase their demand for justice.”
— Nedal Alsalman BCHR Director
We call on the international community to:
- Demand the release of all political prisoners.
- Urge Bahrain to restore political societies and repeal political isolation laws.
- Insist on the reinstatement of religious freedoms, including Friday prayers in Diraz.
- Press for freedom of expression and the reopening of independent media.
- End international impunity by placing real accountability measures on Bahrain’s leadership.
The people of Bahrain have not given up on democracy. Neither should the world.