On March 13, 2025, ADHRB delivered an intervention at the 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council during the Annual Discussion on the Rights of the Child. ADHRB expressed deep concern over Bahrain’s blatant violations of minors’ rights in detention, which contravene the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
We express deep concern over Bahrain’s blatant violations of minors’ rights in detention, which contravene the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Minors in Bahrain are arrested without warrants on political charges, interrogated without legal counsel, and forcibly disappeared from their families for extended periods. Many are tortured to coerce confessions used against them in court. They are also denied education and forced to miss school years, jeopardizing their future.
One example is Ali Husain Matrook Abdulla, a 15-year-old school student arrested without a warrant on 26 August 2024 for participating in peaceful protests. He was forcibly disappeared and tortured to extract a confession. After five months in pre-trial detention, he was sentenced in early 2025 to two years in prison while awaiting trial for other cases. He faces medical neglect for his dental issues and is deprived of his right to education, as authorities refuse to let him continue his studies.
We urge the Council to take immediate action to pressure Bahrain to uphold detained children’s rights and comply with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
