Updated: Dr. Abduljalil AlSingace is a prominent Bahraini human rights defender, former university professor, and engineer, serving his life sentence since 2011. He was arrested and tortured by security officers following his participation in the 2011 pro-democracy protests at the age of 49 and was charged by the authorities with plotting to topple the government. On 27 March 2023, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention adopted an opinion on Dr. AlSingace, describing him as a human rights defender in Bahrain at the local and international levels who has received international recognition and awards for his work and writings. It also expressed “grave concern” for his deteriorating health as a result of his hunger strike in protest of ill-treatment, calling for his immediate and unconditional release and to ensure that he receives adequate medical care. Dr. Abduljalil has been on a solid food hunger strike for over three years at the Kanoo Medical Center, where he is detained, protesting the unjust and inhumane treatment in prison. Most recently, on 14 September 2024, AlSingace intensified his strike by refusing the vitamin and mineral solution he depends on for nutrition, opting to drink only drinking water, in protest against the denial of necessary medical treatment.
On 17 March 2011, around 48 officers, some masked and in civilian clothing, arrested Dr. Abduljalil from his house without presenting an arrest warrant. Some of the officers were heard speaking in a Saudi accent. They dragged him in his “underwear and without his glasses”, holding him at gunpoint. Officers reportedly beat him inside his house and on the street. Then, they took him to a police station for a few hours and then moved him to AlQurain military prison where he was detained.
During his interrogation, Dr. AlSingace was subjected to physical and psychological abuse. He was blindfolded and handcuffed, and officers brutally beat him. They hit his head with their fists and batons and sexually assaulted him. Officers also forced him to lick their shoes and stand for long periods despite his medical condition. Dr. Abduljalil has suffered from several chronic illnesses since his youth, including post-polio syndrome and a musculoskeletal condition, which has required him to use a wheelchair or crutches to walk. Officers would force him to stand without crutches and kick him on his healthy leg until he fell. He was also placed in solitary confinement for two months and was given very little food, which caused him to lose 10 kilograms. His cell was very small, with no light and cold temperature. Moreover, officers would verbally abuse him by cursing and degrading him, telling him he did not deserve to live. They also threatened him and threatened to rape his daughter and wife.
As a result of the torture, Dr. Abduljalil gave a false confession and was sentenced to life imprisonment by the military National Safety Court in June 2011 on the charge of attempting to overthrow the government. He was imprisoned in Jau Prison where his health deteriorated due to mistreatment.
During his imprisonment, Dr. Abduljalil continued to experience discomfort in his left shoulder and pain in his left rib due to the beating he endured from the officers. Furthermore, his carpal tunnel syndrome further deteriorated because he was forced to stand on his leg with his hands raised and cuffed. His vision also deteriorated after being deprived of his glasses for over a month. The prison administration has denied him access to the appropriate medical treatment. This medical negligence included withholding his prescriptions including medical devices. In June 2021, the Jau Prison administration refused to replace the rubber padding on his crutches, and therefore, he was forced to use the worn-out ones that were uncomfortable and made him slip repeatedly. Only after much international advocacy did the authorities accept to replace the paddings.
Dr. Abduljalil’s health has been further jeopardized by the hunger strikes that he has gone on throughout his imprisonment, to protest against the degrading and harsh practices and restrictions implemented by authorities. In July 2021, Dr. Abduljalil started a hunger strike to protest the confiscation of a book he had been working on for four years, which focused on Bahraini culture and dialects.
After 1,169 days, Dr. Abduljalil’s solid food hunger strike is still ongoing, and his health has deteriorated significantly. He was taken to the hospital several times before being transferred to the Kanoo Medical Center in July 2021, where he remains in solitary confinement and denied access to direct sunlight, new clothes, and physiotherapy for his physical disability. He has also been denied access to necessary medical examinations and information, including the results of MRI scans of his shoulder and head since October 2021. He has been denied treatment for several medical conditions, including arthritis, shoulder pain, poor vision, tremors, and prostate, dental, and skin problems. At the center, Dr. AlSingace is experiencing headaches, vertigo episodes, and shortness of breath. His hands are unusually cold and swollen, and he had to be given an oxygen mask after his oxygen levels dropped. He has lost over 20 kilograms, and his blood sugar level has dropped to 2 mmol/L. His hunger strike involves drinking tea, milk, and sugar, along with minerals and water. However, authorities have further reduced the portions of sugar provided to him under the pretense of a shortage. Doctors have neglected his situation, visiting him only once every 2 or 3 weeks, and his request for painkillers was being delayed. Because of this strike, Dr. AlSingace suffers from low white blood cell, red blood cell, and platelet counts.
Dr. Abduljalil has been refusing to end his strike as long as authorities deny him his basic rights and fail to return his book as promised. His demands include giving his family his new passport and ID, allowing him to have video calls with his family, getting prescribed medication available outside Salmaniya Hospital and the Kanoo Medical Center, obtaining his MRI images from the military hospital, being provided crutches and a warm water bottle for his back, and receiving pictures of his family.
On 15 November 2021 and 30 December 2021, United Nations experts, specifically the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, the Special Rapporteur on Persons with Disabilities, and the Special Rapporteur on Health issued two joint allegation letters urging Bahrain to release Dr. AlSingace and compensate for him by providing proper healthcare. Despite these appeals, Bahrain has ignored the concerns and continued to deny Dr. AlSingace his basic rights.
On 27 March 2023, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued an opinion on Dr. AlSingace’s case, expressing “grave concern” over his deteriorating health due to his hunger strike protesting mistreatment. The Working Group called for his immediate and unconditional release and to ensure he receives appropriate medical care.
On 17 April 2023, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Gerard Quinn, stated that “As a human rights defender with a disability in detention, Dr. AlSingace faces additional risks. He should receive frequent medical check-ups and reasonable accommodations for his disability, including assistive technologies and specialized care. However, Bahraini authorities have not always provided these.”
The authorities continue to deny Dr. AlSingace essential medical supplies prescribed by doctors, such as suitable crutches or replacements for the worn tips to prevent slipping in the bathroom, and a hot water bottle for joint pain relief. He is also being denied treatment for various medical conditions, including arthritis, vision impairment, tremors, prostate issues, dental problems, skin conditions, respiratory issues, and low blood cell counts. The authorities have further restricted his right to access information by banning English and Arabic newspapers and limiting the available TV channels. Since January 2024, Dr. AlSingace’s family has faced harsh conditions during visits, including disruptions to video calls with family members who cannot visit in person, and a ban on direct visits and communication with relatives beyond the first and second degrees, which he believes is a deliberate attempt to pressure him into refusing visits altogether.
Recently, on 14 September 2024, after the Ministry of Interior delayed providing essential medications, Dr. AlSingace escalated his hunger strike by ceasing intake of the vitamin and mineral solution he relied on for nutrition, subsisting only on water. This drastic measure was intended to pressure authorities into supplying his medications, according to his family’s statement to Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB). Due to his refusal to take the solution, the nursing staff at the Kanoo Medical Center had to administer intravenous fluids to keep him alive. However, worsening health and difficulties with vein access forced him to stop using intravenous fluids as well. As a result, Dr. AlSingace is experiencing a severe drop in red blood cell count, posing a serious risk to his life. On 16 September 2024, two officers visited him and insidiously questioned his refusal to take medications, attempting to shift the blame onto him. He explained that the issue was the shortage and delay of medications. The family has urged the Ministries of Interior and Health, along with the Kanoo Medical Center’s administration, to take immediate action to provide the necessary medications and treatment, holding the relevant authorities fully accountable.
Dr. AlSingace’s arbitrary arrest, torture, unfair trial, reprisals, and severe medical negligence are clear violations of the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), to which Bahrain is a party. Additionally, the inhumane treatment and conditions in his detention constitute a blatant violation of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, known as the Nelson Mandela Rules.
Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) urges Bahraini authorities to respond to the United Nations Special Procedures regarding Dr. AlSingace, who is imprisoned for his peaceful human rights activism. ADHRB demands the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. AlSingace and the prompt provision of necessary medical care, as stipulated by the UN Special Procedures. Additionally, ADHRB calls for the return of Dr. AlSingace’s confiscated book, which he worked on for four years in prison, to his family. ADHRB also demands an investigation into allegations of torture, mistreatment, retaliation, and severe medical neglect, to hold perpetrators accountable and compensate for the violations suffered. ADHRB warns of Dr. AlSingace’s worsening health due to lack of medical care and his critically dangerous escalating hunger strike, which is due to the ongoing denial of his basic rights in prison. The Ministries of Interior and Health, along with the Kanoo Medical Center administration, are held fully responsible for his declining health and any further deterioration. ADHRB also calls on the international community to intensify demands for Dr. AlSingace’s immediate and unconditional release and to ensure he receives urgent necessary medical care.
