The Bahrain Forum for Human Rights Launches Inaugural Issue of “Rights Under Attack” Bulletin, Spotlighting the Trial of Religious Scholars

To read and download the full inaugural First Issue click here

The Bahrain Forum for Human Rights (BFHR) has launched the inaugural issue of its periodic human rights bulletin, Rights Under Attack, for October 2026. The first edition examines the trial of religious scholars in Bahrain through investigative reports, legal analyses, and human rights articles, highlighting concerns over religious freedom and fair trial guarantees.

The bulletin is a periodic human rights publication dedicated to monitoring, documentation, and analysis. It aims to provide in-depth examinations of human rights issues and violations in Bahrain by tracing developments, placing them within their legal and human rights contexts, and highlighting policies and practices that affect fundamental rights and freedoms.

Trial of Religious Scholars: Main Focus of the First Issue

The first issue devotes extensive coverage to the Trial of Religious Scholars in Bahrain During 2026, raising questions about judicial independence, the presumption of innocence, the rights of the defense, the ability to confront and cross-examine prosecution witnesses, and compliance with international fair trial standards.

The issue includes six investigative reports, most notably “13 Hours Under the Shadow of Politicization,” which examines a lengthy court hearing in the trial of religious scholars and the concerns it raised regarding defense rights and the examination of witnesses.

Another report, “Trial on the Front Page: When the Prosecution’s Narrative Preceded the Courtroom,” explores the role of media coverage in shaping public opinion about the defendants before judicial proceedings were completed.

Meanwhile, “From the Diraz Sit-in to the Trial of Religious Scholars” examines patterns of mass trials in political cases and their implications for fair trial guarantees.

The issue also reviews the role of the National Institution for Human Rights in monitoring the case, alongside a report on the 2026 Trials and Rulings Related to Freedom of Expression and Political Positions, as well as an examination of the judicial career of Judge Jassim Al-Ajlan.

Religious Freedoms and Fundamental Rights

In its news reports section, the bulletin highlights the state of religious freedoms in Bahrain, including restrictions on religious observances and related arrests and prosecutions.

The issue covers a joint report published by the Bahrain Forum for Human Rights and Salam for Democracy and Human Rights, titled “Criminalizing Religious Doctrine and Rituals,” as well as the examination of religious freedoms in Bahrain before the United Nations Human Rights Committee.

Another report documents the developments in the case involving religious scholars throughout 2026, from arrests to trials, and the accompanying human rights concerns regarding fair trial guarantees.

Articles and Legal Analyses

The issue features a collection of articles examining the relationship between state authority, the law, and the independence of religious affairs.

These include “Khums Does Not Require State Permission: Where Does the Authority of Law End and the Independence of Religious Affairs Begin?” and “When Belonging Becomes an Accusation: Bahrain’s Scholars Between the Rhetoric of Treason and the Logic of Hostage-Taking.”

Another article, “Bahrain’s Religious Scholars Facing the Media’s Guillotine Before the Judiciary’s,” examines the relationship between media coverage and cases pending before the courts, while a separate article discusses questions raised about the secrecy of the trial of religious scholars.

Six Thousand Pages and a Restricted Defense

The bulletin also devotes space to coverage of a press conference titled “Six Thousand Pages and a Restricted Defense: Were the Requirements for a Fair Trial Met?”

The seminar examines the legal and human rights concerns arising from the extensive case file and the defense team’s ability to review and effectively challenge the evidence.

“Rights Under Attack”: Toward More In-Depth Documentation of Human Rights Issues

The issue’s opening editorial, titled “Why Rights Under Attack?”, emphasizes that the bulletin seeks to go beyond simply presenting facts or repeating human rights positions.

Instead, it aims to understand patterns of violations and their underlying causes, identify responsibilities, and connect current developments to their historical and legal contexts, while distinguishing between documented facts and allegations that require independent investigation.

The launch of Rights Under Attack marks a further addition to the Bahrain Forum for Human Rights’ publications, through which the organization works to document human rights issues in Bahrain and make analytical and documentary resources available to researchers, journalists, and those interested in human rights.

First Issue – October 2026