Bahrain’s regime detains many natives, Saudi-UAE rift opens up
As the 15th anniversary of the Bahrain’s Revolution approaches, the khalifi regime is increasingly feeling unsafe. Since the uprising in 2011 it has remained traumatised and vulnerable. It has remained largely passive, unable to undertake political initiatives to pacify the public anger against the hereditary dictatorship. Its reliance on foreign support is contributing to this vulnerability and inaction. Every year, the people feel more energised to pursue the goals of their Revolution despite the unprecedented repression and the massive crackdown that resulted in hundreds of martyrs and thousands of political prisoners. For the past few weeks, the regime has carried out a wave of arrests to forestall the preparation to renew the Revolution.
The house of Hajji Ahmed Al Najjar (in Sanabis) was raided last night and he was arrested together with his brother, Mohammed. Electronic equipment were seized in the raid. Also, the house of Hassan Sadeq Al Ghawwas (from Sanabis) was raided in the early hours of Sunday 1st February. He was detained. Nidal Jihad (from Al Dair town) was arrested when he attended Samaheej police station after a summons. Faisal Sami Al Asfoor, from Al Ma’amir town, was also detained. On Wednesday 28th January two people were arrested. Jassim Ma’tooq Baddao and Saleh Ali Saleh (from Duraz town) were summoned for interrogation, detained and taken to the prosecutor’s office which remanded them in custody for one more week. Three young natives were detained few days ago. Another man, Ali Al Baqqali from Sanabis town was also arrested on Sunday 1st February. Ali Ahmed from Duraz town was detained when he responded to a summons on 28th January.
Yesterday, Tuesday 3rd February, Sayed Mohammed Anwar from Jidhafs town was detained. He had been summoned for interrogation and was taken away by the torturers. Political prisoner, Hassan Kadem Al Baqqal (from Buri town), 19, is suffering severe health problems at Wing 3 at the Dry Dock Prison. He was detained on 30th December in a house raid in the early hours of that day. Few days ago, he collapsed in his cell suffering from breathing difficulties. Prison officials have refused to transfer him to Salmaniya hospital for further tests.
On Monday 2nd February, regime’s court imposed additional prison terms on four political prisoners. Ahmed Abdulla Al Abbassi (from Karzakkan town), Ali Abdulla and Hadi Abdul Zahra (both from Aali town) and Hassan Matar (from Buri town) were given a one-year sentence in addition to a similar sentence imposed on 19th January. They had been detained in November when they were summoned for interrogation. They were subjected to horrific torture which broke the hand of one of them.
Political prisoner, Sayed Mahdi Maitham (from Markh town) suffered severe injuries after he had been attacked inside Jau prison. One of the regime’s officers, Hamad Al Dowsari attacked the political prisoner while he was being transferred to Bloc 2 of Jau prison. This is a serious violation of the rights of the political prisoners.
The khalifi Appeal Court has adjourned its verdict on the case of Ibrahim Sharif until 17th February. He had appealed against his six-month prison sentence imposed on him for peacefully expressing his opinion. Mr Sharif has been a life-long activist, thinker and a reputed banker.
The political prisoners at Bloc 12 of Jau Prison staged a strike in support of another group. The under-aged political prisoners at Bloc 16 at the Dry Dock Prison have been on hunger strike for the past few days.
On 2nd February, The Observer published a report titled “Neom, MBS’s desert city dream, fades with the price of Saudi oil”. It said: The crown prince has been forced to rein in plans for his high-tech metropolis as costs spiral to $8.8tn and the kingdom’s wealth falls… The cutbacks are the product of a collision between the crown prince’s ambitions and the constraints of finance – and physics. Nine years after becoming de facto ruler of the kingdom, MBS’s instincts have been tempered at home and abroad. It comes at a time of growing rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which are competing for influence across the region.
Another article was published in The Financial Times on 31st January titled: “Businesses fear blowback from Saudi-UAE rift”. It said: “Tensions between the two traditional allies burst into the open in December after Riyadh alleged that the UAE had supported a Yemeni separatist faction that had launched an offensive against Saudi-backed groups. Since then, employees at banks, management consultancies, law firms and oil and gas services firms have all faced issues when applying for Saudi visas from the UAE, according to six people whose companies were directly affected. Saudi Arabia has also been making a broader push to encourage businesses to move operations and staff to the kingdom. “Of course we are worried,” said one marine services executive, whose employees this month had visit visas rejected. “Saudi and Emirati political and media discourse in recent weeks – particularly since the brief military campaign against the Southern Transitional Council – has made clear that the dispute runs far deeper than Yemen. Riyadh has unleashed a fierce media campaign targeting the Emirati leadership and its wider political project. Notably, the media offensive has framed the UAE as seeking to fragment Arab states for its own – and Israel’s – political gain”
Bahrain Freedom Movement
4th February 2026