17 Feb Organisations submit request for UK sanctions against Bahrain Interior Minister

Leading human rights organisations have submitted a formal request for UK sanctions against Bahrain’s Interior Minister, General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, under the UK’s Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020. The request and supporting evidence were submitted to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office by Deighton Pierce Glynn solicitors on behalf of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD). The request is also supported by Human Rights First. It seeks targeted financial and travel sanctions against the Interior Minister for his role in serious rights abuses against the Bahraini people.

The NGO coalition is calling for the Interior Minister to be held accountable for his role in serious and systematic human rights violations in Bahrain, including allegations of torture and arbitrary detention of political dissidents and human rights defenders. Documented abuses include physical beatings, the use of torture devices, sexual violence, and rape. The submission states that the Minister is an “involved person” within the meaning of the regulations for human rights abuses, encompassing the violent suppression of protests and years of systematic persecution.

The evidence documents the use of torture in Bahrain over the last decade and argues that there are reasonable grounds for sanctions under the UK’s Global Human Rights Sanctions regime, including responsibility for:

(i) the use of torture;

(ii) the facilitation, incitement, promotion and/or provision of support for such acts;

(iii) the failure to investigate or prosecute perpetrators;

(iv) obtaining political benefit from acts of torture; and/or

(v) making resources available to individuals under his control and/or responsibility who have directly committed torture.

On 09 February 2026, a group of cross-party MPs supported the push for sanctions. They further raised concerns that millions of pounds of UK public funds continue to be spent on technical assistance to Bahrain.

For further information please see:

Gulf Center for Human Rights: https://www.gc4hr.org/mps-and-human-rights-groups-urge-uk-government-to-sanction-bahrain-interior-minister-over-role-in-torture/

Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy: https://birdbh.org/2026/02/mps-and-human-rights-groups-urge-uk-government-to-sanction-bahrain-interior-minister-over-role-in-torture-as-bahrain-marks-15th-anniversary-of-2011-uprising/

Human Rights First: https://humanrightsfirst.org/library/a-coordinated-sanctions-push-against-bahrains-interior-minister/

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