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 5, ADHRB drew the Council’s attention to the ongoing detention and mistreatment of Bahrain’s prominent elderly human rights defenders, imprisoned since 2011 for their activism and cooperation with UN mechanisms.
We draw the Council’s attention to the ongoing detention and mistreatment of prominent elderly Bahraini human rights defenders, imprisoned since 2011 for their activism and cooperation with UN mechanisms.
A prominent case is 63-year-old human rights defender Dr. AbdulJalil AlSingace, serving a life sentence. Suffering from several chronic illnesses, he is denied medical care, subjecting him to a slow death. On a solid food hunger strike since July 2021, he protests inhumane conditions and medical neglect. His mistreatment continues despite UN calls for his release and care.
Another notable case is 64-year-old human rights defender AbdulHadi Al-Khawaja, also serving a life sentence. He has faced relentless abuse, including isolation and medical neglect, worsening his chronic illnesses. Repeatedly resorting to hunger strikes in protest, his health has sharply declined, putting him at high risk of fatal cardiac arrest and blindness.
This mistreatment also affects other imprisoned prominent elderly opposition leaders and defenders, including Hasan Mushaima and AbdulWahab Husain Ismaeel.
We urge Bahraini authorities to release all detained elderly opposition leaders and human rights defenders, particularly those who cooperated with UN mechanisms.
