SALAM for Democracy and Human Rights (SALAM DHR) strongly condemns the documented reports and testimonies indicating that several Bahraini Shia clerics, who were arrested by Bahraini security forces across the Kingdom on 9 May 2026, were subjected to physical and verbal abuse. These acts reportedly involved sectarian insults and degradation as well as coercion to sign interrogation records. This conduct constitutes a blatant violation of international and domestic human rights standards and contradicts the Bahrain Public Prosecution’s recent statement concerning the “legal safeguards afforded to defendants” and its assertion that they had received “all their rights” when they were arrested and taken into custody.
The testimonies indicate that Shia clerics were systematically subjected to violations that breached their fundamental rights as detainees and amounted to torture and ill-treatment. According to the available information, several were beaten, subjected to sectarian insults by interrogation officers, threatened with sexual assault and the possible revocation of their citizenship, and mocked for their religious affiliation. This starkly contradicts the Kingdom of Bahrain’s declared commitment to religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Furthermore, the detainees’lawyers were not given access to the case files to review and prepare their defence.
The ill-treatment of these clerics constitutes a clear abuse of legal authority by law-enforcement bodies, a violation of constitutional provisions, and an infringement upon the independence of the judiciary. It is also inconsistent with Bahrain’s international treaty obligations. In November 2025, the United Nations Committee against Torture explicitly called on Bahrain to refrain from using ill-treatment to extract confessions and from relying on such confessions as evidence of guilt before the courts. Yet, this is precisely what appears to have occurred, raising serious doubts about the integrity of the ongoing judicial proceedings and their compliance with fair-trial guarantees. Under these circumstances, the trial risks merely acting as a formal procedure while providing legal cover for unlawful practices committed against the defendants.
In light of the above, SALAM DHR calls for the following:
- 1. The opening of an urgent, independent, and impartial investigation into all allegations of ill-treatment and physical and psychological abuse referred to in this statement.
- 2. All individuals involved in these violations to be held legally accountable and immediately suspended from their duties on a temporary basis pending the completion of the investigation.
- 3. The immediate release of the detained clerics and the provision of all necessary healthcare without delay.
- 4. A review of the integrity of the judicial procedures followed in this case, which have been marred by numerous violations, including depriving the lawyers of their right to present an effective defence by denying them access to the case file.
- 5. The disclosure of information concerning the case to the public and the lifting of confidentiality restrictions, in order to prevent any misuse of executive and judicial authority.
- 6. The Special Investigation Unit, together with the Ombudsman and the National Institution for Human Rights, to commence investigations into these allegations without delay and in accordance with their respective legal mandates.
