SALAM for Democracy and Human Rights (SALAM DHR) expresses deep concern regarding the life sentence issued by the High Criminal Court in the Kingdom of Bahrain against Bahraini citizen Ms. Badoor Abdulhamid Al Ibrahim on 12 May 2026. The Bahraini Public Prosecution announced Ms. Al Ibrahim is accused of communicating with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, along with publishing photos and the coordinates of locations and facilities inside Bahrain through social media platforms.
According to the statement issued by the Public Prosecution, the case began following a report submitted by the Cybercrime Directorate of the General Directorate for Anti-Corruption and Economic and Electronic Security regarding the monitoring of an online account publishing photos and coordinates of vital locations inside Bahrain, in addition to content that authorities considered harmful to the military, political, and economic standing of the state, and which included glorification and encouragement of Iranian attacks against Bahrain. The Public Prosecution also stated that during interrogation, Ms Al Ibrahim admitted to using her account to publish such materials with the aim of “assisting aggressors against the Kingdom of Bahrain.”
While SALAM DHR affirms the importance of protecting national security and respecting the rule of law, it stresses that combating crimes related to state security must not come at the expense of fundamental rights guaranteed under international human rights law, including the right to a fair trial, the right to access a lawyer, the prohibition of torture, enforced disappearance, and coercion into confession, as well as the inadmissibility of confessions extracted under coercion and threats as evidence for conviction – which, according to the information received, occurred in this case.
Information obtained by the Monitoring Team at SALAM DHR indicates that security forces arrested Ms. Al Ibrahim on 10 March 2026 at her home in Bani Jamra at 8:00 PM, without presenting a legal arrest warrant, following a raid on the house, a search operation, and the confiscation of her electronic devices.
She was subjected to enforced disappearance for five days, during which all communication with her was completely cut off. She was able to contact her family for the first time on 15 March 2026. This raised serious concerns regarding her physical and psychological safety in the absence of any official information concerning her place of detention or legal status.
According to testimonies and information received by SALAM DHR, Ms. Al Ibrahim was subjected to cruel and degrading treatment violating human dignity during her detention at the Criminal Investigations Directorate building in Adliya. This included threats and coercion to confess and sign statements without being allowed to review their content or understand the legal consequences based upon them.
Further testimonies indicate that during interrogation Ms. Al Ibrahim was subjected to multiple practices that may amount to torture or ill-treatment, including:
- Forcing her to stand for long hours until she lost consciousness;
- Detaining her in an extremely cold room for prolonged periods without adequate food or water;
- Threatening to harm and assault members of her family;
- Subjecting her to verbal and sectarian insults by some investigators; and
- Threatening to arrest her children and bring terrorism-related charges against them if she refused to provide confessions.
If proven, these practices constitute a flagrant violation of the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, to which Bahrain is a state party, in addition to contradicting the fundamental guarantees of fair trial rights and the prohibition against using confessions extracted under coercion.
Available information also indicates that Ms. Al Ibrahim was held in solitary confinement inside Isa Town Women’s Prison from 17 March until 17 April 2026, while being deprived of communication with her lawyer throughout that period, before later being allowed a limited visit conducted through a glass barrier and by telephone only.
SALAM DHR notes that deprivation of visits may amount to inhuman treatment, as restrictions relating to visits should not infringe upon other rights, including the right to privacy and confidentiality, in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
According to available information, Ms. Al Ibrahim requested the presence of a lawyer before signing any statements or testimony before the Public Prosecution, but her request was denied. Her defense team was later prevented from obtaining a copy of the case file under the pretext that it contained “state secrets.” A lawyer was only allowed to review Ms. Al Ibrahim’s file inside the courtroom, without being permitted to retain a copy or adequately review it during the investigation phase.
These measures constitute a clear violation of the right to legal defence and the fundamental guarantees of a fair trial. Denying lawyers effective access to the case file and related documents during the investigation phase undermines their ability to prepare an effective legal defence and violates the principle of equality of arms between parties to the case. Furthermore, withholding information and evidence that may support the defendant’s position or contribute to refuting the charges against her constitutes a violation of the right to a fair trial under international human rights standards.
These practices also contradict the United Nations Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment, particularly Principle 21, which states:
“It shall be prohibited to take undue advantage of the situation of a detained or imprisoned person for the purpose of compelling him to confess, to incriminate himself otherwise or to testify against any other person.”
They likewise violate Article 14(3)(b) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by Bahrain, which states that everyone charged with a criminal offence shall be entitled, in full equality, to the following minimum guarantees: “To have adequate time and facilities for the preparation of his defence and to communicate with counsel of his own choosing.”
SALAM DHR expresses deep concern regarding the secrecy of the trial hearings and the restrictions imposed on the rights of defence and communication with lawyers and family members, which raises serious concerns regarding respect for fair trial guarantees as stipulated by international standards for fair trials and due process, particularly in cases of a security and political nature.
SALAM DHR also expresses concern regarding media incitement and defamation campaigns targeting Ms. Al Ibrahim, including the publication of her photograph through official social media accounts and the use of accusatory rhetoric undermining the presumption of innocence and negatively affecting the independence of justice, the fairness of the trial, and the integrity of judicial proceedings.
SALAM DHR believes that the allegations of enforced disappearance, ill-treatment, and coercion into confession, if proven, constitute a serious violation of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention Against Torture, and other relevant international standards, and are contrary to international law.
SALAM for Democracy and Human Rights calls on the Bahraini authorities to:
- Guarantee Badoor Abdulhamid Al Ibrahim’s right to appeal within independent and fair judicial proceedings that comply with international standards;
- Open an independent and transparent investigation into allegations of enforced disappearance, ill-treatment, torture, and coercion into confession;
- Enable Ms. Al Ibrahim’s legal defence to have full access to the case file and ensure free and effective communication with lawyers and family members;
- End all forms of media incitement and defamation related to the case in respect of the presumption of innocence; and
- Fully comply with the Kingdom of Bahrain’s international human rights obligations and ensure respect for the principles of justice and the rule of law.
In addition, SALAM DHR calls on the United Nations Special Rapporteurs and relevant international human rights mechanisms to urgently follow up on this case, considering the seriousness of the associated violations and their implications for justice and human rights conditions in Bahrain, and to request a visit to Bahrain.
