15-year-old minor and school student AbdulAziz Husain AlHammadi was arrested by Bahraini authorities on 20 October 2024 from his home without a warrant. During his detention, he endured enforced disappearance, torture, denial of family contact and visits, denial of lawyer access, unfair trial, malnutrition, medical neglect, and deprivation of his right to education. He is currently held in the Juvenile section of the Dry Dock Detention Center, serving a one-year, six-month sentence while awaiting trial for other pending cases.
On 20 October 2024, at 11:50 P.M., AbdulAziz was asleep at home when plainclothes officers wearing police-emblem vests knocked on the door, frightening his mother and ordering her to wake him. They arrested him without presenting an arrest warrant or providing any reason for his arrest. He was then taken to a dark area behind Maqaba Police Station, where officers beat him on the head before transferring him that night to the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), where he was further tortured and interrogated.
The following day, 21 October 2024, authorities issued a summons for him despite already holding him in custody. That day, he was allowed to call his family for the first time, informing them he was being interrogated over an Instagram post. However, the call was cut off before he could reveal his location. He then disappeared for 48 hours. During this time, his mother contacted authorities to find him, but they falsely claimed he was at Dry Dock Detention Center while he was actually being held at the CID, preventing her from locating him.
At the CID, AbdulAziz was interrogated without legal representation or a guardian present, despite being a minor. He was left in a cold, dark room for 48 hours, blindfolded, handcuffed, and seated on a chair. Officers repeatedly struck his head, leaving a visible wound. When his blindfold was removed, an investigator ordered him to keep his eyes down and focus on a tablet displaying photos of individuals, demanding that he identify them. The moment AbdulAziz looked up, the investigator struck him hard on the head and slapped him. Despite repeated beatings and slaps, he could not identify the persons in the images, as he had never seen them before. The physical abuse persisted until he was forced to falsely claim recognition and confess to charges just to stop the beatings. Officers also shouted politically motivated insults at him.
After his interrogation at the CID, AbdulAziz was transferred to Roundabout 17 Police Station on 23 October 2024 and later that same day to the Public Prosecution Office (PPO). During the transfer, he learned that, in addition to charges of 1) inciting hatred against the regime and 2) misusing telecommunications related to the Instagram post, new charges had been added, including 3) assault on military personnel and 4) possession of usable and explosive devices. At the PPO, while his lawyer was present, authorities barred her from speaking with or defending him, claiming he had not personally authorized her—despite her authorization from his mother. There, AbdulAziz denied all charges and refused to sign pre-written confessions, arguing that no evidence, such as fingerprints or photographs, linked him to the accusations. Nevertheless, the prosecutor ordered his detention, and he was transferred to Dry Dock Detention Center.
On 10 December 2024, a court session was held for AbdulAziz regarding the misuse of telecommunication services case, and the court ordered his release. The family’s lawyer informed them of the verdict, stating they would receive a call to pick him up. At 5:00 P.M. that day, AbdulAziz called his mother from the CID, telling her that although he had been granted release, authorities refused to free him due to three other pending cases. He also informed her that he was being transferred to Budaiya Police Station in the Northern Governorate. When his mother arrived, officers initially denied her access to him, but a senior officer eventually allowed the visit, warning her not to cause problems. Seeing her son in a dire state—barefoot, in torn clothes, with bruised wrists from the handcuffs—she broke down in tears, screamed in distress, and collapsed. Shortly after, she was informed he would be transferred to Roundabout 17 Police Station. She objected, arguing that the facility housed adult detainees and insisted he be sent to Dry Dock Detention Center instead. Her demand was met after she briefly left to bring him clothes and shoes.
AbdulAziz was not brought before a judge within 24 hours of his arrest, was denied legal representation during interrogation, and was not given adequate time or facilities to prepare for his defense. His false confessions, extracted under torture, were used as evidence against him. On 13 January 2025, after nearly three months of pre-trial detention, AbdulAziz and two other minors—15-year-old Ali Husain Matrook Abdulla and 17-year-old Abbas Muslim Juma—were convicted of 1) illegal assembly and 2) arson, receiving six-month prison sentences. AbdulAziz was shocked by the verdict, as no evidence linked him to the crime, and the trial relied solely on statements from other minors convicted in the same case. He informed the judge that the alleged illegal gathering on 24 August 2024 took place in his hometown, AlMaqsha; however, it was impossible for him to have participated, as he and his family were residing in Hamad town at the time. Despite this, the court disregarded his evidence and proceeded with the conviction. AbdulAziz appealed the sentence, and an appeal session was scheduled for 3 March 2025. On 11 February 2025, he was convicted of 3) burning tires and sentenced to an additional year in prison, bringing his total sentence to one year and six months. He is also awaiting trial for additional charges, including 4) assault on security forces, 5) possession of usable and explosive devices, and 6) an unknown charge. He is scheduled to stand trial for the assault on security forces charge on 24 February 2025.
Throughout his detention, AbdulAziz was denied family visits. After his sentencing, his family was allowed to visit him for the first time on 26 January 2025. His mother noticed he looked pale and extremely fatigued. When she asked about his condition, he attributed it to severe sleep deprivation caused by intense fear at night and persistent frightening noises, as well as malnutrition due to the poor quality of the food provided. His detention has also caused him to miss an entire school year, as the Dry Dock Detention Center administration deprived him of his right to education. Additionally, he suffers from jaw problems and requires a specific device, but authorities refused to allow his family to provide it. His family filed two complaints with the Ombudsman and the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) regarding the torture he endured during interrogations and his deprivation of education since his arrest, but they have received no response.
AbdulAziz’s warrantless arrest as a minor, enforced disappearance, torture, denial of family contact, visits, denial of legal counsel, unfair trial, malnutrition, medical neglect, and deprivation of education constitute clear violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), 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, all of which Bahrain is a party to.
Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) calls on the Bahraini authorities to uphold their human rights obligations by immediately and unconditionally releasing AbdulAziz. ADHRB further urges the government to investigate allegations of arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance, torture, denial of family contact and visits, denial of legal counsel, malnutrition, medical negligence, and deprivation of the right to education, ensuring that perpetrators are held accountable and that AbdulAziz is compensated for the violations he endured. At the very least, ADHRB advocates for a fair retrial for AbdulAziz under the Bahraini Restorative Justice Law for Children and in accordance with international legal standards, leading to his release. ADHRB also calls on authorities to allow AbdulAziz to resume his education, provide the necessary support for him to complete his studies, ensure he receives proper medical care—including the device needed for his jaw condition—and improve the quality of his food.
