The death and alleged torture of a Bahraini man detained in connection with the war on Iran has sparked angry dissent in the Gulf state.
Mohamed al-Mosawi, 32, went out with friends on 19 March to eat the morning suhoor meal during the last days of Ramadan.
At some point, according to the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (Bird), Mosawi and six of his friends were detained at a checkpoint by authorities.
They were subjected to enforced disappearance, with their families having no information about their whereabouts or fate.
On Friday, Mosawi’s family received a call instructing them to collect his body from the Bahrain Defence Force Hospital.
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Mosawi's corpse had bruises and marks all across the face and body, photographs and footage seen by Middle East Eye showed. Protesters say they suggest he was likely tortured before his death.
The interior ministry denied this and said it had launched an investigation.
It said that “images circulating on social media purporting to show injuries sustained by the deceased are inaccurate and misleading”.
The ministry added that Mosawi was detained by the national intelligence agency on charges of espionage, specifically “providing information and intelligence” to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with the intent of facilitating attacks.
The 32-year-old was previously held as a political prisoner for over a decade in the notorious Jau Prison, according to Bird.
'The state of his body reminds me of many men whose bodies emerged from security custody in the same condition'
- Ebtisam al-Saegh, Bahraini activist
He was released in April 2024, when more than 1,500 prisoners, including hundreds of political detainees, were pardoned by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
MEE obtained a copy of Mosawi’s death certificate, which stated that he died on 27 March at 2.29am (11.29pm GMT) in the military hospital.
The cause of death was noted as “cardiopulmonary arrest” and “acute coronary syndrome”.
Sayed Alwadaei, director of Bird, spoke to people who knew Mosawi. They described him as “young, healthy and energetic”.
“He was tortured to death,” Alwadaei told MEE. The fate of the other men who disappeared alongside Mosawi is unknown.
Ebtisam al-Saegh, a prominent human rights activist who previously accused Bahrain’s security services of torturing and sexually assaulting her, said she “feel pain and helplessness” after Mosawi's death.
“The state of his body reminds me of many men whose bodies emerged from security custody in the same condition,” al-Saegh told MEE.
“They were effectively sentenced to death inside interrogation rooms; their bodies told the story.”
MEE has asked the Bahraini embassy in the UK for comment.
'Down with Hamad' chant
In retaliation for the US and Israel's war launched a month ago, Iran has fired missiles at Gulf states, including Bahrain.
Explosions from direct impacts and fires from falling debris have been reported across the island. At least three people have been killed and dozens injured.
The war has also been accompanied by a domestic crackdown by Bahraini authorities.
At least 220 people have been arrested since the war began, Bird has documented. The actual number may be higher due to enforced disappearances.
Some of the arrests have been in connection with protests, while many are to do with social media posts, including posting footage of Iranian attacks online.
Mosawi is thought to be the first death in custody since the war began.
Hundreds of people attended his funeral on Friday, in the city of Muharraq, chanting anti-government slogans.
They included “we will never be humiliated”, “down with Hamad” and “may God curse you Hamad”, referring to the king.
Such chants and protests are rare due to severe restrictions on dissent and freedom of speech.
MEE spoke to three attendees at the funeral, who requested anonymity for safety reasons.
“Yesterday, I attended the funeral of a former prison mate with whom I spent 10 years,” one attendee said. “Despite the repression, the slogans expressed a sense of resistance and refusal to be broken.”
Rights groups have documented that Shia communities have been particularly targeted by arrests.
'You can be detained for any reason, disappear completely and then suddenly your family finds your lifeless body'
- funeral attendee
Much of the country’s population is Shia, from the Baharna and Ajam ethnic groups. Bahrain’s ruling Al Khalifa family are Sunni.
In early March, footage showed large crowds marching in Bahrain to mourn and protest the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei by a US-Israeli strike.
Khamenei was a spiritual figure for many Shia around the world.
One attendee at Mosawi’s funeral said the death had left Shia communities feeling both angry and fearful.
“We feel fear and terror as citizens, and this is why today - especially Shia citizens - feel unsafe,” he told MEE.
“At any time, in any place, at a checkpoint, you can be arrested. Your home can be raided. You can be detained for any reason, disappear completely and then suddenly your family finds your lifeless body. This is frightening and terrifying.”
'Government wants silence'
Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, where more than 9,000 American troops are stationed. It is the second-largest US base in the region in terms of personnel.
Many Bahrainis see this as inviting conflict into the country. They also believe the US, along with the UK, have long propped up Bahrain’s royal family.
The presence of American troops in Bahrain has been a point of contention for decades.
The country's legislative assembly was disbanded in 1975, just two years after its creation, partly because it opposed the presence of the US Navy on the island.
'The government wants a silent people who see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing'
- Female mourner
The permanent dissolution of parliament ushered in a period of 25 years of rule by emergency decree.
Opposition to the US Navy has not ended. In 2024, there was a sizeable march against the Fifth Fleet and Bahrain’s normalisation of relations with Israel.
Every few years, there are anti-government protests in Bahrain, including mass uprisings in the early 1990s and in 2011. Both were violently brought to an end by authorities.
Some believe that the release of Mosawi’s body, bearing visible signs of abuse, was a deliberate ploy by the government to instil fear among any dissenters.
“The message is clear: the government warns and cautions, through the martyr, against protesting, showing solidarity or speaking up,” one female mourner told MEE.
“The government wants a silent people who see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing.”
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