On March 21, 2025, Americans for Democracy and human rights in Bahrain delivered an intervention during the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council. In its intervention under Item 4, ADHRB urged Bahrain to end the systemic religious repression of Shia political prisoners, restore their right to worship, and cease all forms of collective punishment for their beliefs.
Discrimination against Bahrain’s Shia population remains deeply entrenched, systematically stripping them of religious freedoms and political rights. This repression has recently escalated in Jau Prison, where Shia political prisoners face severe restrictions on practicing their faith and endure widespread abuse.
After political prisoner Husain Ali Aman died from medical neglect in December 2024, Bahraini authorities intensified reprisals against Shia political prisoners, with religious repression being a key tactic.
On 2 January 2025, the prison administration banned prisoners from observing religious rituals for the Islamic month of Rajab. Those who practiced in their cells faced further restrictions, including being denied outdoor time and phone calls.
In early February 2025, Jau prison authorities banned Shia prisoners in Building 3 from marking Imam Husain’s birth anniversary. Those who held commemorations faced retaliation, including solitary confinement, confiscation of belongings, and denial of family visits, phone calls, and outdoor access.
We urge Bahrain to end the systemic religious repression of Shia political prisoners, restore their right to worship, and cease all forms of collective punishment for their beliefs.
