Gulf Kingdom Of Bahrain Cracks Down On Dissent As Iran War Reignites Internal Unrest

A man detained successful Bahrain past period arsenic nan land kingdom came nether rocket onslaught from Iran vanished for days, until his family was called to retrieve his assemblage from a subject hospital.

Relatives said Mohamed al-Mousawi, a Shiite Muslim who had antecedently been imprisoned, was redeeming money to commencement a business. His assemblage was returned covered successful slash marks and bruising, including connected nan soles of his feet.

His decease has go a flashpoint successful nan Sunni-ruled, Shiite-majority state connected nan war’s beforehand lines, wherever critics opportunity authorities person revived strategies utilized to suppress Arab Spring protests successful 2011.

Bahrain, a monarchy that hosts nan U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, has arrested dozens of group passim nan warfare for filming strikes and demonstrations, expressing support for Iran, and connected suspicion of spying for it.

“They want to make judge cipher challenges nan state’s communicative and soundlessness immoderate voices not telling nan communicative (of nan war) really they want it to beryllium told,” said Sayed Ahmed AlWadaei of nan London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said al-Mousawi was arrested connected suspicion of spying for Iran, allegations denied by his family, and that images of his wounds were “inaccurate and misleading.” Bahrain’s authorities said successful a connection that nan state is defending its nationalist security. It denied immoderate sectarianism, saying authorities person acted lawfully and that independent bodies analyse allegations of abuse.

Signs of torture

Al-Mousawi served astir 11 years of a 21-year situation condemnation connected charges including arson and belonging to a violent compartment earlier being released successful 2024 arsenic portion of a royal amnesty.

A comparative and a adjacent family friend, who said to AP connected information of anonymity for fearfulness of reprisals, said al-Mousawi vanished connected March 19 aft attending prayers pinch 2 friends who besides person not been seen since. Rights groups person agelong accused Bahrain of enforced disappearances.

On March 27, his family received a telephone to cod his body. The relative, who saw it astatine nan morgue, said al-Mousawi appeared to person been whipped pinch cables. He said location were evident electrocution burns, including down his knees, and cigaret burns elsewhere connected nan body.

The AP separately reviewed images of al-Mousawi’s body, which bore marks described by a full of 5 witnesses who saw it successful person. All said connected information of anonymity for fearfulness of retribution.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said al-Mousawi had been held by nan National Security Agency. As portion of reforms pursuing nan 2011 protests, nan home spy work was stripped of its powers to apprehension complete maltreatment allegations. But they were restored successful 2017 arsenic Bahrain deepened a long-running run to suppress dissent.

The Interior Ministry said images of “injuries sustained by nan deceased are inaccurate and misleading and person been deliberately disseminated to mislead nationalist opinion,” without elaborating.

The decease certificate from nan subject infirmary said he died of a bosom attack. His family said nan 32-year-old had nary preexisting conditions.

Ahmed Banasr, a forensic master pinch nan New York-based Physicians for Human Rights, said nan wounds successful nan images were accordant pinch blunt unit trauma. Wounds connected nan soles of his feet thief norm retired different explanations, specified arsenic a conflict aliases fall.

“The findings are highly accordant pinch alleged torture,” he said.

War aggravates long-standing grievances

Al-Mousawi was among dozens of Bahraini Shiites ensnared successful a crackdown that critics opportunity has escalated since Israel and nan U.S. launched nan warfare against Iran connected Feb. 28.

Rights groups spot nan arrests and al-Mousawi’s decease arsenic a caller shape successful Bahrain’s long-running run of repression that reached a highest successful 2011 arsenic pro-democracy uprisings swept nan region. That year, nan ruling Al Khalifa family crushed wide demonstrations pinch thief from troops from Saudi Arabia and nan United Arab Emirates.

Periodic unrest has continued since, pinch nan authorities casting nan mostly Shiite protesters arsenic Iranian proxies. Unlike different Sunni monarchies successful nan Gulf, Bahrain — for illustration Iran — has a Shiite majority.

“It really remains to beryllium seen really acold nan authorities is going to spell successful its crackdown connected people,” said   Maryam al-Khawaja, a Bahraini activistic surviving overseas whose begetter is jailed successful Bahrain. “What we’re seeing correct now is decidedly a batch much heavy-handed than we person successful nan past fewer years.”

Bahrain says it targets those who assistance nan enemy

Bahrain’s authorities said its information measures are “a nonstop and proportionate response” to Iran’s attacks.

“The individuals arrested see those who filmed subject and strategical sites during an progressive onslaught connected Bahraini territory, those who passed delicate information, and those who publically expressed support for a authorities that had conscionable launched strikes against Bahraini soil,” it said.

“To coming arrests made connected nan ground of behaviour arsenic grounds of sectarian persecution and conflate nan 2 — is simply a framing that we firmly and unequivocally reject,” it added.

Since nan war’s start, astatine slightest 41 group — including migrant workers — person been arrested for sharing images of what authorities described arsenic “Iranian aggression,” aliases for expressing sympathy for it. Some are accused of treason — a complaint that tin transportation a life condemnation aliases nan decease penalty.

Bahrain has tallied much than 600 Iranian drone and rocket strikes, which person killed astatine slightest 2 group and struck infrastructure, including a desalination plant, an lipid refinery and an aluminum smelter. Iran has besides many times targeted nan U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters.

Some demonstrators person mourned nan sidesplitting of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and celebrated strikes connected Bahrain, according to videos seen by AP. They besides show firebombs being thrown and cars group ablaze.

A begetter fears his boy could beryllium put to death

The time aft nan warfare began, 21-year-old Hussein Fatiil and a friend posted societal media videos of themselves waving a poster of Iran’s ultimate leader astatine a protestation extracurricular nan U.S. Embassy. Minutes later, plainclothes officers took them distant successful an unmarked car.

This photograph provided by nan family of Hussein Fatiil, shows Fatiil, a Bahraini activist, successful Bani Jamra, Bahrain, 2026.

(Associated Press)

The men resurfaced hours later, calling location from a constabulary position aft being interrogated, Hussein’s father, Naji Fatiil, told nan AP.

Three days later, Hussein called his family again and said he’d been charged pinch 5 offenses, including misusing societal media and inciting hatred and treason, his begetter said.

“The charges are highly superior and exaggerate what happened,” he said, adding his boy said nan protestation extracurricular nan embassy was peaceful. “Now he mightiness beryllium charged pinch nan astir terrible punishment. All I want is for my boy to person a normal life and not beryllium sentenced to death.”

Metz writes for nan Associated Press.