The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) expresses grave alarm over the Bahraini authorities’ escalating campaign of arbitrary arrests, judicial harassment, and suppression of peaceful assembly during the first half of 2026. BCHR’s documentation reveals a sustained pattern of violations aimed at silencing dissent, intimidating civil society, and further shrinking the already restricted civic space in the country.
Between January and June 2026, BCHR documented 669 arbitrary arrests, including 36 children, while one detainee died under torture, raising serious concerns over the continued use of torture, ill-treatment, and the absence of accountability. During the same period, BCHR documented 260 peaceful protests, reflecting the continued determination of Bahrainis to peacefully express their demands for justice, human rights, and democratic freedoms despite an increasingly hostile environment.
The documented arrests were carried out through house raids, checkpoints, airport and causeway arrests, court premises, roadside arrests, and repeated summonses by security authorities. Many individuals were detained solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, or association. The widespread use of summonses has increasingly become a tool of intimidation, allowing authorities to impose arbitrary restrictions without judicial safeguards.
BCHR Documentation (January–June 2026)
January 2026
- 57 arbitrary arrests
- 39 individuals later released
- 22 peaceful protests documented
February 2026
- 55 arbitrary arrests
- 4 children arrested, including a child aged 12
- 19 individuals later released
- 67 peaceful protests documented
March 2026
- 233 arbitrary arrests
- 15 children arrested
- 15 individuals later released
- One detainee died under torture
- 101 peaceful protests documented nationwide
April 2026
- 65 arbitrary arrests
- 44 arrests followed security summonses
- 4 children arrested
- 7 individuals later released
- 43 peaceful protests documented
May 2026
- 127 arbitrary arrests
- 82 arrests followed security summonses
- 38 house raids documented
- 8 children arrested
- 5 individuals later released
- 23 peaceful protests documented
June 2026
- 132 arbitrary arrests
- 15 arrests followed security summonses
- 5 children arrested
- 31 individuals later released
- 4 peaceful protests documented
Children Continue to Be Targeted
BCHR remains deeply concerned by the continued arrest and prosecution of children. The detention of 36 children during only six months demonstrates a disturbing pattern that directly contradicts Bahrain’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In numerous documented cases, children were arrested without judicial warrants, denied immediate access to legal representation, and their families were not promptly informed of their whereabouts. International law is unequivocal: the detention of children must be an exceptional measure of last resort. Bahrain’s current practices fall far short of these standards.
Arbitrary Arrests as a Tool of Political Repression
The data collected by BCHR illustrates that arbitrary arrest has become an institutionalized mechanism for suppressing dissent. Security forces routinely conduct house raids, establish checkpoints, issue repeated summonses, and carry out arrests at airports, the King Fahd Causeway, courts, and public roads. These measures extend state control into every aspect of public life, creating a climate of fear intended to discourage peaceful civic participation.
The death of one detainee under torture during the reporting period further underscores the grave risks faced by those held in custody and highlights the continuing failure of Bahraini authorities to investigate allegations of torture or hold perpetrators accountable.
Peaceful Assembly Remains Under Attack
Despite persistent repression, Bahrainis continued to exercise their right to peaceful assembly throughout the reporting period. BCHR documented 260 peaceful protests between January and June 2026.
Rather than facilitating these assemblies, authorities continued to criminalize peaceful protest through surveillance, intimidation, arrests, and judicial harassment. Participants were frequently summoned for questioning before or after demonstrations, while others were detained solely for peacefully expressing political opinions or participating in public gatherings.
The continued suppression of peaceful assembly violates the very foundations of a democratic society and further erodes public trust in state institutions.
Bahrain’s International Obligations
The documented violations constitute serious breaches of Bahrain’s obligations under international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, particularly:
- Article 6 – Right to life.
- Article 7 – Prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.
- Article 9 – Freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention.
- Article 19 – Freedom of expression.
- Article 21 – Right to peaceful assembly.
- Article 22 – Freedom of association.
The documented practices also violate the Convention against Torture and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, both of which Bahrain has ratified.
BCHR Calls on the Bahraini Authorities to:
- Immediately and unconditionally release all individuals detained solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.
- Immediately end the arbitrary arrest and prosecution of children and ensure full compliance with international juvenile justice standards.
- End the use of security summonses, house raids, checkpoints, and travel interception as tools of intimidation and political repression.
- Conduct prompt, independent, impartial, and transparent investigations into all allegations of torture, ill-treatment, and deaths in custody, ensuring those responsible are held accountable.
- Respect and protect the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association in accordance with Bahrain’s international legal obligations.
- Grant independent international monitors, including United Nations Special Procedures, unrestricted access to Bahrain to assess detention conditions and the broader human rights situation.
A Call to the International Community
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights urges the United Nations, Member States, regional organizations, diplomatic missions, and international human rights mechanisms to respond decisively to Bahrain’s deteriorating human rights situation.
The continued pattern of arbitrary arrests, the prosecution of children, the death of a detainee under torture, and the systematic suppression of peaceful assembly cannot be ignored. Continued international silence risks emboldening further abuses and deepening the culture of impunity.
The international community must press Bahrain to uphold its international obligations, ensure accountability for human rights violations, and create an environment in which all people can peacefully exercise their fundamental rights without fear of arrest, intimidation, or reprisal.
BCHR will continue to document these violations and advocate for justice, accountability, and the protection of fundamental freedoms in Bahrain.