Bahraini political activists detained, Trump’s Saudi visit scrutinised
The kangaroo courts of Bahrain’s regime have extended the unlawful detention of five native Bahrainis. Yesterday, their imprisonment was extended 30 more days. Hussain Al Qaidoom (from Sqayah town), Abdulla Hussain Al Mawt (from Sanabis), Hussain Ali Ahmed (Sanabis), Salman Abdul Razzaq (Maqaba) and Mohammed Abdul Razzaq (Maqaba) had been arrested on 17th January from a street in Sanabis town.
On Monday 12th May, regime’s courts adjourned the trial of five native Bahraini political prisoners (from Samaheej town) for one more week. Abdulla Hassan Al Mo’athen, Hassan Masood, Ali Yousuf Al Habib, Ahmed Abdul Latif and Ali Redha Mashakheel were arrested on 29th March.
On Wednesday 7th May, regime’s court adjourned the trial of two under-aged political prisoners for two more weeks. Ahmed Faisal Mansoor and Abbas Mahmood Al Hbaishi from Daih town were arrested on 29th March. The two are part of a group of six children unlawfully detained for their peaceful expression of opinion.
The Bahraini people are adamant on retaining their right to protest despite the regime’s repression and harsh treatment. When the people of Abu Saiba planned their protest in support of Gaza, the regime deployed large number of forces on 10th May to stop them.
On 12th May, twenty-seven international NGOs signed an open letter to the United Nations Human Rights Council calling for the release of the senior figures of the opposition and human rights activists. It said: Ahead of the 59th session of the Human Rights Council (16 June – 11 July 2025), we are writing to you and your delegation regarding the continued detention of leading human rights defenders, bloggers, journalists, opposition and religious activists, and death row inmates who are at imminent risk of execution in Bahrain. The letter presented three demands: 1- to urge Bahrain’s regime to include human rights defenders, leading opposition activists, and all those detained solely for exercising their human rights or for their political beliefs in the upcoming royal pardons. 2- Issue a statement calling on Bahrain to immediately and unconditionally release Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, Hassan Mushaima, Sheikh Mohamed Habib Al-Muqdad and Sheikh Ali Salman and 3- Cease persecuting activists and critics and Address these concerns with the special rapporteurs and independent experts for freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, summary executions, health, and independence of judges and lawyers.
Bahrainis have mourned a young man who left this world in his exile in Iraq yesterday. Ali Abdul Jalil Fateel, 23 from Bani Jamra town met his fate after years of suffering, away from his home. He fled the country in 2018 when two life sentences were imposed on him for his peaceful activism. He did not suffer serious illnesses before, but fell into a coma four days before his death.
The khalifi regime is now embroiled in its own fallacies and criminal policies. It is being humiliated daily as it is forced to release native Bahrainis who want its downfall. The Committee for Prisoners Affairs is now collecting signatures for the release of more than 400 political prisoners from khalifi torture cells.
President Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia has been marred with controversy and disgust. He has re-embraced the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who was castigated worldwide as a callous murderer after the fiasco of the horrific dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi in November 2018 by his men. Now MBS is back in the fold, people can all ignore executions carried out in Saudi since the start of 2025, particularly targeting the people of Qatif for protesting peacefully. The official Saudi Press Agency said at least 111 named individuals have been executed this year so far (as of 12 May). This is approximately 70% more than at the same stage in 2024. The most recent execution spree was just last week.
Ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia on May 13, the Committee to Protect Journalists and 15 other human rights organizations condemned the kingdom’s deteriorating press freedom, including journalists’ arrests, travel bans, surveillance, and disinformation aimed at silencing the media. The groups called on Saudi authorities to release all detained journalists, lift arbitrary travel bans, and end legal and digital attacks. They also urged U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and the U.S. Congress to protect U.S.-based journalists from Saudi transnational repression and spyware.
Nourah al-Qahtani, a mother of five, has been held in solitary confinement since February, with her health rapidly deteriorating. She is Professor of Modern Literature and Criticism at King Saud University (KSU), specialising in modern Saudi literature. She was arrested in 2021 on charges related to alleged social media usage that criticised aspects of Saudi society. Her initial sentence of thirteen years imprisonment was appealed by the prosecution and she was re-sentenced in 2022 to 45 years imprisonment. This change to her sentencing, based on revised charges, resulted in many human rights organisations, such as International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Amnesty International, International Service for Human Rights and CIVICUS requesting her release.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
14th May 2025
