From school to prison: detained and abused minors in Bahrain

Translated by Irene Cecchi

Human rights violations against detained children continue in Bahrain’s prisons. Arrested primarily during protests, children in Bahrain still face the risk of detention and countless violations of their fundamental rights. Investigations by Human Rights Watch and ADHRB (Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain) have exposed unacceptable living conditions, a situation that urgently needs to change.

The issue of the arrest and detention of minors has gained renewed attention in recent years. On one hand, the invasion of Palestine and the ongoing indiscriminate attacks against Palestinians have led to an escalation of protests, arrests, and, consequently, a growing suppression of freedom of expression, assembly, and peaceful protest. Between August and December 2023, 32 minors were arrested, along with 344 Bahraini citizens between October 2023 and November 2024. Their crime? Expressing solidarity with Palestinians and Lebanese people.

On the other hand, in April 2024, the Bahraini government granted amnesty to 1,584 prisoners, including 40 minors, who had previously been arrested on charges related to freedom of speech and expression.

It is clear that in recent decades, the detention of minors in Bahrain has become an unfortunate habit—an illegal one, considering that the arrest of minors should be a last resort, as prohibited by international law. It is only permitted in extreme cases and must be strictly necessary.

According to Bahrain’s domestic law, the minimum age for arrest is 15 years. However, a 2021 law allows authorities to “place a minor in a social care institution for renewable weekly periods if circumstances require it”; in other words, children under 15 can be freely detained. Furthermore, Bahraini law does not establish clear rules to follow before, during, or after legal proceedings.

In these detention centers occur sever human rights violations, particularly in the infamous Dry Dock prison, where detainees face:

• Torture and mistreatment
• Denial of the right to education
• Inhumane conditions (lack of drinking water, overcrowding, isolation, poor nutrition)
• Suppression of religious practices
• Medical neglect
• Hunger strikes

Between November 2023 and September 2024, Human Rights Watch interviewed eight men who were arrested as minors (between 2013 and 2019) and later released (between 2019 and 2024), as well as four mothers of boys arrested during the October 2023 protests in support of Palestinian rights. In some cases, the detained minors had not even actively participated in the protests, but Bahraini authorities perceived them as involved and arrested them nonetheless.

The twelve interviews revealed horrifying details: minors arrested and then tortured, sexually assaulted, denied access to lawyers and adequate legal support. During interrogations, they were repeatedly subjected to physical and psychological torture, coerced into confessing to crimes they did not commit—confessions used to justify their detention.

One man, who was 15 at the time of his arrest, stated that he was repeatedly beaten during interrogation. He confessed only after being threatened with rape. After enduring torture, detained minors were denied proper medical care, water and food, further worsening their situation. However, even upon release, the violations did not end: the eight former detainees faced severe restrictions on employment and travel opportunities.

Despite the recent amnesty, another 38 minors have been arrested, 14 of them without a warrant. The Bahraini government appears unwilling to change course, as illegal detentions and the torture of innocent minors persist.

We are witnessing a country that silences its youth, accusing them of crimes they did not commit, stripping them of their humanity and their rights. We are witnessing a country that is erasing any hope for the future.

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