Bahrain Mirror: Human Rights Watch condemned in a statement on Friday (June 7, 2023) the Bahraini authorities' prevention of Shi'a worshippers from attending Friday prayers in June 2023 at the Imam Al-Sadiq Mosque in Diraz. Imam Al-Sadiq Mosque, which is in Diraz neighborhood, is the main site for Shi'a Friday prayers in Bahrain. HRW considered the "Bahraini authorities' recent blocking of Shi'a worshippers from attending Friday prayers is another reminder of the discrimination the community has long suffered," demanding Bahrain to "immediately end all forms of discrimination against its Shi'a community."

Interviewees told Human Rights Watch that Bahraini police - including riot and traffic police -checked the identity documents of those seeking to pass through the checkpoints to Diraz neighborhood. Interviewees told Human Rights Watch that police continued to allow non-Bahrainis and residents of Diraz and nearby neighborhoods to enter the area.

"Imam Al-Sadiq Mosque is the main mosque for the Shi'a community [in Bahrain] and the primary location for Friday prayers. It is where the community discusses its suffering, needs, concerns, social and economic issues, problems in government, and oppression," said one of the interviewees who was blocked from entering Diraz neighborhood on June 16 to attend prayers.

Another interviewee said, "I have been going to pray in Diraz for 30 to 40 years, every week." On June 9, the person had been on the way to prayers at the mosque but was stopped by Bahraini police at a checkpoint and turned around.

Another person, likewise aiming to attend prayers but blocked from entering Diraz neighborhood on June 16, said, "I saw migrant workers on bikes who were allowed in without question. Anyone who did not look Shi'a was allowed in."

Interviewees told Human Rights Watch that they were particularly upset by the recent restrictions to al-Diraz and the mosque, as Bahraini authorities had only recently another long-standing set of restrictions on access to the mosque in 2022.

The organization condemned the arrest of Sheikh Mohammad Sanqour on May 22, 2023 after he called on authorities "to reassure the families of prisoners about their loved ones." After protests, authorities released Sheikh Sanqoor on May 25, 2023, but interviewees said that he has not returned to the mosque since then.

HRW reminded that the constitution of Bahrain protects freedom of belief and guarantees the freedom to perform religious rites under article 22. Articles 18 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Bahrain has ratified, protect individuals' rights to freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and freedom of expression.

"Bahraini authorities have long discriminated against the country's Shi'a majority population," said Niku Jafarnia, Bahrain and Yemen Researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Most recently, officials restricted Shi'a worshipers from attending Friday prayers. Nobody should be restricted from practicing their faith."

"Bahraini authorities' recent blocking of Shi'a worshippers from attending Friday prayers is another reminder of the discrimination the community has long suffered," Jafarnia said. "Bahraini authorities should immediately end all forms of discrimination against its Shi'a community."

Arabic Version