Ali Salman Maki Marhoon was a 16-year-old minor and school student when Bahraini authorities arrested him without a warrant on 5 August 2024 after summoning him to the Sitra Police Station. During his detention, he has endured enforced disappearance, torture, denial of legal representation, unfair trials, and deprivation of his right to education and family visits, along with ongoing reprisals. He is currently held at Dry Dock Prison, serving a one-year and three-month sentence while awaiting trial for other pending cases.
On the evening of 5 August 2024, Ali and his friends, Mohammed Isa Khatam and Husain Saleh AlBarri, went to Sitra Police Station after receiving a phone call from their detained friend, Sadiq Hobail, requesting them to deliver his mobile phone. Upon arrival, officers arrested them without presenting any arrest warrant or stating any reason for the arrest. At the station, they were later accused by officers of multiple offenses, including illegal assembly and rioting. Ali’s family attempted to contact him, but their calls went unanswered. After searching multiple police stations, officers repeatedly told them he wasn’t in custody. He remained forcibly disappeared for three days, with his family unaware of his whereabouts or well-being. Only on 8 August 2024, three days after his arrest, was Ali finally allowed to call home, revealing that he was being held at Dry Dock Prison and charged with multiple offenses, including 1) illegal assembly, 2) rioting, 3) arson, 4) incitement of hatred against the regime, and 5) two cases of assault on military personnel.
Between 5 and 8 August 2024, Ali was interrogated at Sitra Police Station without a lawyer or guardian present, despite being a minor. He was neither allowed to consult his lawyer beforehand nor have her present during questioning. Officers tortured him and pressured him to confess, but he refused. Out of concern for his family’s feelings, he did not disclose the specific methods of torture.
On 8 August 2024, Ali was brought before the Public Prosecution Office (PPO). His lawyer attempted to attend but was denied entry. He only saw her briefly as he was leaving the PPO, without the chance to speak. Despite refusing to confess, the PPO charged him with multiple offenses, including 1) illegal assembly, 2) rioting, 3) arson, 4) incitement of hatred against the regime, and 5) two counts of assault on military personnel. Following this, he was transferred to Dry Dock Prison.
On 16 December 2024, Ali and his three fellow detained minors—Mohammed Isa Khatam, Ali Omran, and Hussain Saleh AlBarri—began a hunger strike at Dry Dock Prison to protest their prolonged pre-trial detention and denial of their right to education. They demanded either their release or an expedited trial, along with the right to continue their school education in prison. In retaliation, the prison administration isolated all four in a small, closed cell. On 21 December 2024, an officer urged them to end their strike, but they refused, vowing to continue until their demands were met—even as Ali’s blood sugar dropped to a dangerously low level. That same day, a public prosecutor met with them and recorded their demands, yet the authorities took no action. On 22 December 2024, the minors ended their hunger strike. The next day, Ali was brought before the court again for the illegal assembly and rioting case.
On 20 January 2025, reports revealed that Ali, along with his friends Ali Omran, Husain AlBarri, and Mohammed Isa Khatam -detained in the Dry Dock Prison- had been subjected to additional punitive retaliatory measures. These included confinement to their cells without family contact or outdoor breaks for up to seven consecutive days and denial of access to purchase basic necessities from the prison canteen, all as punishment for speaking loudly. These harsh measures, effectively isolating Ali and his friends, have taken a severe toll on their mental and physical health.
Ali was not brought before a judge within 24 hours of his arrest and was denied access to his lawyer during trials. He was not given adequate time or facilities to prepare for his defense, nor was he able to present evidence or challenge the evidence presented against him. On an unknown date, Ali was sentenced to three months in prison for 1) illegal assembly and 2) rioting. On 25 February 2025, he received an additional one-year sentence and a 500 Bahraini Dinar fine for 3) arson, bringing his total sentence to one year and three months. He is also awaiting trial for additional charges, including 4) a second arson charge, 5) incitement of hatred against the regime, and 6) two separate cases of assault on military personnel.
For six months, Ali was completely denied family visits. His parents were only allowed to visit him for the first time on 6 February 2025—six months after his arrest.
Ali continues to be denied his right to resume school education. His family submitted complaints to the Ombudsman and the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR), urging authorities to allow him to continue his education, but they have received no response.
Ali continues to face arbitrary bans from purchasing items from the prison canteen, imposed weekly for the slightest reasons—even for simply requesting drinking water. In February, despite the cold weather, hot water for bathing was unavailable. He also suffers from a shortage of clothing, as the prison administration refuses to allow his family to provide him with additional clothes, including winter wear.
Ali’s warrantless arrest as a minor, enforced disappearance, torture, denial of legal counsel and guardian access during interrogations and trials, deprivation of family visits, unfair trials, denial of his right to education, and reprisals constitute blatant violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the Convention against Torture (CAT), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, also known as the Nelson Mandela Rules, to which Bahrain is a party.
Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) urges Bahraini authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Ali. ADHRB also calls for a thorough investigation into allegations of arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance, torture, deprivation of family visits, denial of legal counsel and guardian access during interrogations and trials, denial of the right to education, and reprisals, demanding that those responsible be held accountable. At the very least, ADHRB demands that Ali be granted a fair retrial for the charges he has already been convicted and sentenced for, as well as a fair trial for the pending charges he faces, in line with the Bahraini Restorative Justice Law for Children and international standards. Additionally, he must be granted immediate access to education. Finally, ADHRB calls on Dry Dock Prison administration to immediately cease all retaliatory measures against Ali and his friends, ensuring their access to basic necessities through the prison canteen and the provision of adequate clothing during detention.
