Human Rights First (HRF), a prominent US-based advocacy organization, has formally submitted a comprehensive dossier to the Trump administration calling for targeted sanctions against Bahrain’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa. The submission, delivered on Thursday, presents evidence alleging the minister’s direct oversight of systematic torture practices within Bahrain’s detention facilities since 2011.
The documentation accuses Minister Al Khalifa, who has led Bahrain’s interior ministry since 2004, of supervising torture and cruel treatment of political prisoners despite Bahrain’s status as a signatory to the UN Convention Against Torture. According to HRF’s statement obtained by Middle East Eye, prisoners have faced severe beatings to extract confessions and been systematically denied essential medical care, resulting in multiple fatalities.
HRF President and CEO Uzra Zeya emphasized that “torture and cruel treatment in Bahrain’s prisons have continued well past the crackdown on the country’s 2011 uprising.” The organization contends that US law mandates visa bans and financial sanctions against foreign officials implicated in gross human rights violations.
The recommendation builds upon longstanding concerns expressed by senior US lawmakers, including previous communications from figures such as Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Ron Wyden. In 2021 correspondence with the State Department, these legislators expressed alarm about Bahrain’s violent repression and warned that systemic abuses could undermine both domestic stability and US strategic interests, particularly regarding the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet stationed in Bahrain.
HRF’s submission argues that Minister Al Khalifa meets the legal threshold for sanctions under both the Global Magnitsky Act and Section 7031(c) of US law, which authorizes visa restrictions against foreign officials involved in significant human rights violations. The organization advocates for a policy shift away from what it describes as an “illusion of stability sustained by impunity” toward measures that prioritize accountability and behavioral change.
This development follows the UN Committee Against Torture’s recent observations expressing deep concern about “consistent reports indicating that persons in custody are subjected to torture or ill-treatment” in Bahrain and the “reported lack of accountability, which contributes to a climate of impunity.” Middle East Eye has contacted both the Bahraini government and US State Department for comment regarding these allegations.