Andrew M-Windsor may settle in Bahrain, Six Saudis detained
The saga of Prince Andrew is taking a Bahraini dimension. The Daily Mail has reported a secret meeting between King Charles and Bahrain’s dictator on 11th November in the Cotswold. The meeting was held at an Oxfordshire mansion owned by the dictator. Despite the denial, it is believed that the future of Andrew was discussed and that Bahrain may be his future abode. He is said to enjoy the reverence officials in Bahrain reserve for royalty and is also close with the King and his son, Crown Prince Salman.
On 28th November the UN Committee against Torture Adopted Concluding Observations on Bahrain. It expressed its concern about consistent reports indicating that torture was routinely used to extract confessions. The Committee called on the State party to ensure that confessions and other statements obtained through torture or ill-treatment were not admitted as evidence in practice. The Committee also expressed its concern about reports according to which human rights defenders, members of civil society, journalists, political opponents and other Government critics had been subjected to retaliation, such as intimidation, harassment, travel bans, revocation of citizenship, excessive use of force, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and ill-treatment, enforced disappearance and extrajudicial execution.
Meanwhile, as the regime prepares to put the veteran liberal political activist, Ibrahim Sharif on trial, 48 NGOs have signed a petition calling for his immediate and unconditional release. They include local and Arab political and human rights organisations. The state of anger against the khalifi regime among these NGOs is unprecedented. Also, Four innocent Bahrainis will be “tried” on 8th December, one month after their incarceration. The four: Hussain abdul HussainAli Marhoon, Mohamed Younus Ali Marhoon (both from Ma’amir town), Ali Abbas Fendi and Mohammed Ahmed Mansoor (both from Al Ekr town) were detained in November interrogated in the absence of lawyers or family members.
On Sunday 30th November regime’s torturers arrested Hajji Fakhri Abdulla Rashid, from Sanabis town. The reason? Taking part in the funeral service of Martyr Abdullah Hassan Yousuf who died on 21st October in an accident at sea caused by regime’s coastguards. On Monday 1st December another innocent native citizen was also detained. Maitham Zuhair, from Abu Saiba town had been summoned for interrogation and was arrested.
To confirm their inhumane feelings, regime’s prison officials refused to let a political prisoner attend the funeral of his uncle. Ali Ahmed Khamis pleaded with them to let him out to participate in the funeral of his uncle, Hajji Taqi Hussain Khamis who passed away on Monday morning and was buried on Monday evening. Ali has already spent 11 years of his 57 years prison sentence imposed by the khalifi dictators for taking part in peaceful anti-regime activities. Also, political prisoner, Ali Mohammed Al Mutawwa was denied the right to attend the funeral service of his grandmother. Hajja Nasra Ali Al Mutawwa died on Sunday 30th November. Mr Al Mutawwa has been behind bars since 16th January 2020 and has served six of his ten years incarceration.
Regime’s prosecutors have extended the detention of a political prisoner by 2 weeks. Hamid Al Qadami was detained on 14th October from the Bahrain-Saudi causeway and accused of taking part in the funeral of Martyr Abdulla Hassan two months ago.
Woman activist, Lulua Al BenAli has been given six months imprisonment for talking about corruption and social unrest in Bahrain. She said the regime’s solution is repression and jail.
Al Wefaq Society has documented the systematic torture of 3897 political prisoners. This is the first time such a figure was confirmed by a methodological search. It also shows how the regime has become the most ruthless in the region employing torture as a routine treatment of the activists without mercy or compassion.
On Sunday 30th November the khalifi riot police stormed Bloc 2 at Wing 6 of Jau Prison, which lodges juvenile political prisoners, and attacked the detainees. They used sticks, batons as well as kicking against the inmates. Many injuries were reported. Meanwhile the situation at Central Jau Prison remains volatile as the prisoners vented their anger and shouted slogans against the prison administrator, Adnan Bahar, who has abused the prisoners and subjected them to abusive rules.
Six Saudi citizens have been detained and brought before the general prosecutor. They are accused of publishing statements on social media “with the aim of inciting the public opinion and spreading anarchy.” Among them are: Fahad al-Ruwis, Falah al-Masredi and lawyer Sultan al-Atwi. This is in connection with their expression of support for a public boycott campaign targeting companies owned by the Al Rajhi family, following new social security cuts by Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Ahmad Al Rajhi.
Saudi activist Abdulrahman al-Khalidi has now spent over 1500 days in detention in Bulgaria. According to the European Court of Human Rights, this is the longest period for any current asylum seeker in Europe.
Bahrain Freedom Movement
3rd December 2025