Human rights defender Ali Alhajee released from prison
On 10 March 2025, Bahraini authorities conditionally released human rights defender Ali Alhajee from prison, after having been detained for 11 days over his social media posts on X (formerly Twitter) related to his human rights activism. The case remains under investigation and his release is conditonal under a residence guarantee (bond) under the Public Prosecution, who must be kept informed at all times of his place of residence.
On 6 March 2025, the Public Prosecution in Bahrain renewed the detention order of human rights defender Ali Alhajee for an additional 15 days while an investigation against him is pending, due to his posting of tweets on social media. He has already been in detention for 7 days.
Ali Alhajee is a human rights defender and former political prisoner, who spent over 10 years imprisoned by Bahrain authorities on charges related to peaceful protests. Since his release in June 2023, Ali Alhajee has been a prominent voice calling attention to the human rights violations in the Bahraini prison system, strongly advocating for the rights of political prisoners, including children. He has also been advocating for released prisoners’ rights to higher education, which Bahraini universities have prohibited in the past, in addition to defending their rights to housing and calling for them to regain their previous employment.
On 10 March 2025, Bahraini authorities conditionally released human rights defender Ali Alhajee from prison, after having been detained for 11 days over his social media posts on X (formerly Twitter) related to his human rights activism. The case remains under investigation and his release is conditonal under a residence guarantee (bond) under the Public Prosecution, who must be kept informed at all times of his place of residence.
Front Line Defenders welcomes the release of the human rights defender Ali Alhajee. Nevertheless, the organisation continues to call on the Bahraini authorities to drop all charges against him, close the pending investigations, guarantee his right to freedom of movement, and ensure that he can carry out his human rights activities.
On 6 March 2025, the Public Prosecution in Bahrain renewed the detention order of human rights defender Ali Alhajee for an additional 15 days while an investigation against him is pending, due to his posting of tweets on social media. He has already been in detention for 7 days.
Ali Alhajee is a human rights defender and former political prisoner, who spent over 10 years imprisoned by Bahrain authorities on charges related to peaceful protests. Since his release in June 2023, Ali Alhajee has been a prominent voice calling attention to the human rights violations in the Bahraini prison system, strongly advocating for the rights of political prisoners, including children. He has also been advocating for released prisoners’ rights to higher education, which Bahraini universities have prohibited in the past, in addition to defending their rights to housing and calling for them to regain their previous employment.
On 5 March 2025, Front Line Defenders was among 24 human rights organisations who released a joint statement calling for the immediate release of human rights defender Ali Alhajee.
On 1 March 2025, Bahrain’s Public Prosecution ordered Ali Alhajee to be detained for 7 days pending an investigation on charges of “misusing social media.” Both his prolonged interrogation and detention order occurred without the presence of his lawyer, according to his family.
On 28 February 2025, Ali Alhajee was presented with a written police summons, issued by the Interior Ministry’s General Directorate of Crime Detection and Forensic Science. Following this, the human rights defender was contacted by an official at the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID), who directed him to report to the gate of the CID building in Adliya immediately and on his own. The official made a clear specification that there must be no lawyer present. After Ali Alhajee willingly demonstrated cooperation by following such instructions, he was interrogated regarding his human rights work, notably his social media posts on X (formerly Twitter) which were exposing abuses against political prisoners and advocating for human rights in Bahrain.
According to his wife and woman human rights defender Zainab Al-Khamees, Ali Alhajee told her via a phone call that he has endured numerous violations of his basic rights during detention. This has included being investigated and brought before the Public Prosecution without legal representation, being denied access to the canteen to purchase essential items such as cleaning supplies, food, clothing, and calling cards, as well as not receiving healthy meals tailored to his health condition, and being forced to sleep in unhygienic conditions.
Front Line Defenders condemns the prosecution and renewed detention of Ali Alhajee as it believes it to be a clear act of reprisal by the authorities in Bahrain for his legitimate and peaceful work as a human rights defender. The prosecution of Ali Alhajee is part of a pattern of restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and assembly, intimidations, harassment and reprisals against human rights defenders and peaceful activists in Bahrain.
Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Bahrain to:
- Immediately and unconditionally release human rights defender Ali Alhajee and terminate the pending investigation against him;
- Cease the targeting of Bahraini peaceful activists and human rights defenders in Bahrain;
- Ensure that all human rights defenders in Bahrain can carry out their human rights activities and exercise their right to freedom of expression without fear of reprisals, in line with Bahrain's international human rights obligations and commitments.
Front Line Defenders urges the international community to call for Ali Alhajee's immediate release, including within the context of the ongoing 58th session of the UNHRC. In particular, Front Line Defenders calls on the 25 member states of the European Union that undersigned this joint statement on 3 March welcoming the recent improvements in the human rights situation in Bahrain, to speak up on the case of Ali Alhajee, who has been arrested because of his legitimate human rights work, notably on the rights of prisoners in Bahrain.
