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The intensification of the war in Gaza and the Levant, along with a rise in tensions and regional conflicts, has captured the attention of the international community, diverting it from other developments and human rights violations occurring in many countries in the region, such as Bahrain. This has led to the marginalisation of key human rights issues, even as voices calling for an end to the barbarity of these wars have grown louder. With limited international human rights scrutiny, governments have escalated crackdowns on citizens and activists. These states have also benefited from the evident weakness of international law and its inability to deter aggression or defend the oppressed, especially considering the widespread humanitarian tragedies and violations that have been exposed.
The government of Bahrain (GoB) has benefited from limited human rights scrutiny and the shift in international focus away from its domestic record of suppressing freedoms. Signs of a police state remain clearly visible, and the government continues to engage in repressive practices and systematic violations of citizens’ rights despite having released around 800 political prisoners in 2024, most of whom had been detained on charges related to peaceful protest and freedom of expression.
Since 2024, the right to peaceful assembly has been increasingly threatened. The Bahraini government has intensified its restrictions on public gatherings and imposed broad bans on protests, using security justifications to legitimise the use of force against demonstrators. This has included arbitrary arrests, detentions without fair trial guarantees, as well as security summons and legal prosecutions of activists and opposition figures. Peaceful assemblies, vital tools for individuals to express grievances, demand accountability, and call for reform, are increasingly portrayed as threats to state stability and public order rather than as legitimate exercises of democratic and political rights.
Despite all the restrictions imposed on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, citizens have not hesitated to participate in various peaceful protests and movements, which have spanned political, socio-economic, human rights, and religious themes. Throughout 2025, multiple areas across Bahrain witnessed popular mobilisations such as the commemoration of the anniversary of the 14 February 2011 protests, calling for the release of political prisoners, expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza, among other causes that will be detailed later in this report.
This report documents the work of Salam for Democracy and Human Rights (SALAM DHR) in monitoring protests in Bahrain during the first quarter of 2025, along with related summonses, arrests, and trials. It also sheds light on the Bahraini government’s obligations under international law and the contradiction between those obligations and domestic laws, which facilitate the imposition of restrictions on citizens’ right to peaceful assembly. The identities of most victims have been withheld for their protection.
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