More Bahrainis jailed, Several comedians boycott Riyadh festival
In a serious attack on justice and human rights in Bahrain, the khalifi regime, yesterday, issued a life imprisonment sentence on Hassan Abdul Karim, brother of martyr Hussain Abdul Karim from the town of Saar. He was arrested on 4th July 2024 on his return to Bahrain after years of exile in Iran. Yesterday regime’s courts also sentenced four people to life imprisonment on baseless allegations including plotting to attack a foreign ambassador in Manama. They include two young people who had already served many years behind bars. Abdulla Al Saari (from Aali town) was held for seven years after his arrest on 6th May 2013. Jassim Al Sanadi (from Sitra) spent 10 full years after his arrest on 15th February 2012.
On Monday 29th September regime’s court issued a one-year prison sentence on Abbas Mahmood Al Hubaishi. He is currently serving a six-month sentence imposed on 1st September. He has already been detained for 44 days without charge after he was summoned by the security services on 29th March.
Yesterday, Tuesday 30th September, regime’s prosecutors extended the detention of a public lamenter, Mutahhar Sahwan for 15 more days. He was detained on 22nd September accused of calling for a democratic transformation in the country.
The life of senior political prisoner, Dr Abdul Jalil Al Singace, 66, is rapidly deteriorating. A week after he stopped taking supplements and medicines his health is taking a serious downturn. This is in protest against his ill-treatment and regime’s refusal to end his virtual solitary confinement. Dr Al Singace began his hunger strike on 8th July 2021 in protest at the confiscation of a book that he had spent the preceding four years writing. Up to now he has been taking his medicines and supplements but on 25th September he stopped taking them as his ill-treatment intensified. He insists that he will not end his strike until his book has been given back to him. His health is deteriorating rapidly.
Bahraini protesters took to the streets on Saturday calling for political reforms and the release of political prisoners. In the town of Al Musalla, people participated in a protest calling for their political rights. There were scattered protests in other places.
Regime’s security forces have summoned the fathers of two political prisoners. The officers at Budaya police station sent messages to the mobiles of Ali Mhanna and Hajji Ali Hammam summoning them for interrogation without specifying the reasons.
The US human rights report which is issued annually by the State Department has been criticised for exaggerating the achievements of the khalifi regime. Sarah Leah Whitson, who had served as director of the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch, endorsed a statement by three Bahraini activists who had written: “Bahrain’s [U.S. human rights] report distorts developments in 2024, overemphasizing and inventing positive developments without acknowledging issues and cases that previous reports highlighted,”
In recent weeks, Saudi authorities have renewed efforts to displace residents of al-Muwaila village, part of the area planned for the controversial Neom project. Schools were shut, forcing families to send children to Duba, 47km away. Residents have been warned to evacuate or face power and water cuts.
A French national, father of three Abdelfattah, has been detained in Saudi Arabia for over a year and subjected to repeated ill-treatment and torture. He now faces trial, without legal representation, for visa issues arising from a common scam, and charges related to free expression. He was stopped by security officials on 16 June 2024 while taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca. Abdelfattah was initially detained at the Haram police station and transferred the following day to Dhahban Prison near Jeddah.
Over 10,000 have now signed a petition on the Global Citizen website calling for the release of Saudi aid worker Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, who remains forcibly disappeared and serving 20 years in jail for peaceful Twitter activity. People are urged to sign the petition.
The great irony of the Riyadh Comedy Festival currently taking place in Riyadh is that its hosts, while welcoming high-profile international comedians, continue to suppress peaceful free speech and satirical comment among their country’s own citizens. Several comedians are not coming to Riyadh, including two Americans: Zach Woods and Marc David Maron who have spoken out about the rights abuses in Saudi Arabia. Atsuko Okatsuka, a Japanese-Taiwanese-American stand-up comedian, also declined to participate.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
1st October 2025