Bahrain Detains Dissident Criticizing Participation in US Anti-Yemen Coalition

Sharif, the heads of Wa’ad organization, faced detention pending an investigation into alleged "spreading false news during wartime," as confirmed by his family and lawyer on Thursday, according to Bahrain's office of public prosecution.

The opposition figure voiced criticism against Bahrain's participation in the coalition, expressing discontent over the regime's decision, stating it was made "without any consideration of the position of the Bahraini people who strongly support our besieged Palestinian people in Gaza." His arrest occurred on Wednesday.

Bahrain's government cited the detainee's alleged support for a proscribed terrorist organization as the basis for his detention, a charge carrying a potential prison term of up to 10 years.

Bahrain is the only Persian Gulf state to join the US-led coalition formed this week in response to Yemeni attacks in the Red Sea on ships bound for Israeli occupied Palestinian territories.

Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, advocacy director at the UK-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), condemned the detention, affirming that the regime aimed to make an example out of Sharif for criticizing Bahrain's alliance with the Americans. “Failure of the US administration to publicly denounce his arrest and push for his immediate release gives the green light to the Bahrain government to continue his detention,” Alwadaei said.

The Pentagon's announcement of a coalition involving 10 countries, including Britain and Spain, comes amidst Yemeni forces targeting ships in solidarity with Gaza. Yemen has warned of halting all ship passages bound for occupied territories in the Red Sea.

Yemen's leadership warned of targeting US military warships in the Red Sea if military strikes are carried out against Yemen by Washington and its allies.

Bahrain's main opposition group, al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, condemned human rights violations in the country and denounced the normalization of relations with Israel as a "crime" conflicting with Bahrain's history and Islamic identity.

The establishment of diplomatic ties between Bahrain and Israel in 2020 through the United States-brokered Abraham Accords faced criticism, with Bahraini lawmakers pressing for a reversal of normalization following Israeli war on Gaza.

Amid ongoing protests in Bahrain since the normalization, criticisms regarding human rights violations within the country remains muted.

Bahrain's engagement in protests post-normalization has not escaped notice, with criticism aimed at the US and Britain for refraining from condemning human rights violations in the country. In July, British legislators questioned the removal of Bahrain from its list of human rights priority countries, highlighting concerns of principle compromise after a significant investment deal between the UK and Bahrain.