Abduljalil Al-Singace
Academic, blogger and human rights defender
as of 06 Jun 2026
in Bahrain
"I am ready to die. They confiscated my work. They will not confiscate my dignity."HuMENA Editorial
Issued Saturday, 6 June 2026
§ 01Background and the caseEditorial narrative
Bahraini academic and human rights defender serving life imprisonment since 2011. On a liquid-only hunger strike since July 2021 in protest at the confiscation of his manuscripts.
Background and work
Dr. Abduljalil al-Singace is a Bahraini engineer, academic and one of the most prominent voices to emerge from the country's pro-democracy movement. A former head of mechanical engineering at the University of Bahrain, he was also a leading member of the opposition Haq Movement and used his blog to document discrimination, sectarian policy and the situation of political prisoners. His scholarship later turned to the cultural fabric of Bahrain itself, including the dialects of Arabic spoken across the islands.
Arrest and detention
He was first detained in August 2010 and released the following February, only to be re-arrested on 17 March 2011, days after the launch of the Pearl Roundabout protests. Security forces took him from his home in a night raid. In the weeks that followed he was tortured, held in solitary confinement and subjected to sexual humiliation, abuse he later detailed before a military court. He has since been recognised as one of the "Bahrain 13" — a group of opposition leaders, clerics and rights defenders tried together by a special military tribunal.
Conviction and imprisonment
In June 2011, the National Safety Court sentenced him to life imprisonment on charges connected to "plotting to overthrow the government" and forming a terrorist organisation. The conviction was upheld on appeal in 2012 despite credible reports of torture and a trial that fell far below international fair-trial standards. He has been imprisoned ever since, much of it at Jaw Prison, where he has documented systematic mistreatment of detainees and the denial of medical care.
Current status as of 2026
On 8 July 2021 he began an open-ended hunger strike after prison guards confiscated his handwritten research on Bahraini Arabic dialects. He has sustained himself on water, salts and vitamin supplements ever since. As of mid-2026 he has passed his 64th birthday, his fifth year refusing food, and his 15th year behind bars. He is held at the Muharraq specialised health-care centre, where he suffers from tremors, prostate disease, a depressed white-cell count and chronic pain. In November 2025 the UN Committee against Torture explicitly called for his release. Bahrain has not responded.
§ 02Documented chronology8 events on file
-
17 Mar 2011Thursday
arrest Seized in night raid after Pearl Roundabout uprising Security forces took him from his Manama home days after the launch of mass pro-democracy protests. He was placed in incommunicado detention and later reported torture, beatings and sexual humiliation.
-
22 Jun 2011Wednesday
verdict Life sentence handed down by military court as part of Bahrain 13 A special National Safety Court sentenced him alongside opposition leaders, clerics and rights defenders to life imprisonment on charges related to "plotting against the state". His confession had been extracted under duress.
-
04 Sep 2012Tuesday
appeal Court of Cassation upholds life imprisonment Bahrain's highest court confirmed the sentence despite extensive documentation of torture, denial of counsel and the use of a military tribunal against a civilian.
-
08 Jul 2021Thursday
other Begins liquid-only hunger strike over confiscated manuscripts After Jaw Prison authorities seized his handwritten research on Bahraini Arabic dialects, he refused all solid food. He has sustained himself only on water, salts and vitamins since.
-
08 Jul 2023Saturday
health Two years on hunger strike; transferred to medical facility Now held at the Muharraq specialised health-care centre, he developed tremors, prostate problems and a critically low white-blood-cell count.
-
08 Jul 2024Monday
health Three years without solid food; family fears for his life A joint letter from rights organisations warned that his refusal of nutrition had become medically unsustainable. He has continued to insist his strike will end only when his manuscripts are returned and he is released.
-
21 Nov 2025Friday
other UN Committee against Torture demands his immediate release In concluding observations on Bahrain, the Committee named him by name and urged the government to free him together with Hassan Mushaima and Abdulhadi al-Khawaja.
-
17 Mar 2026Tuesday
other 15 years in detention; fifth year of hunger strike begins He marked the 15th anniversary of his arrest still confined at the Muharraq facility, still refusing food, his manuscripts still withheld.
§ 04Sentence
§ 05Documented violations4 categories
§ 06Editorial provenanceHuMENA Editorial Board
This case file was compiled by HuMENA's Bahrain research team from primary documentation, public filings, family-supplied legal documents, and confidential partner reporting. Editorial responsibility rests with the HuMENA Editorial Board. Where dates or facts are uncertain, the record errs on the side of the source material and notes uncertainty in the live archive at humena.org.
- Generated
- Saturday, 6 June 2026
- Source dataset retrieved
- 2026-05-11
- Live record (canonical)
- https://dev.humena.org/defenders/abduljalil-al-singace/
- Editorial sign-off
- HuMENA Editorial Board
§ 07Take-downs · corrections · partner submissions
HuMENA welcomes corrections, additions, and take-down requests from the defender, their family, or accredited representatives. Material discrepancies are typically addressed within 72 hours.
Editorial · editorial@humena.org
Take-downs & corrections · takedowns@humena.org
Partner submissions (confidential) · partners@humena.org