State Security Law in Bahrain

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Part of a series on the
History of Bahrain
Ancient Bahrain Dilmun Tylos Awal
Historical region Islam in Bahrain Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami
Reigning Dynasties Qarmatians Uyunid dynasty Usfurid and Jarwanid dynasties Jabrid dynasty
Portuguese occupation Muqrin ibn Zamil Antonio Correia
Safavid hegemony 1717 Omani invasion of Bahrain
1783–1971 1783 Bani Utbah invasion of Bahrain Perpetual Truce of Peace and Friendship (1861) 1895 coup d'etat attempt Administrative reforms of the 1920s first oil well (1932) National Union Committee March 1965 Intifada Bahraini independence survey, 1970
State of Bahrain State Security Law era 1981 coup d'état attempt 1990s Uprising
Kingdom of Bahrain 2000s in Bahrain 2011 uprising
Bahrain portal
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Following Bahrain's independence from the British in 1971, the government of Bahrain embarked on an extended period of political suppression under a 1974 State Security Law shortly after the adoption of the country's first formal Constitution in 1973. Overwhelming objections to state authority resulted in the forced dissolution of the National Assembly by Amir Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa and the suspension of the Constitution until 2001. The State Security Law of 1974 was a law used by the government of Bahrain to crush political unrest from 1974 until 2001. It was during this period that the worst human rights violations and torture were said to have taken place. The State Security Law contained measures permitting the government to arrest and imprison individuals without trial for a period of up to three years for crimes relating to state security. A subsequent Decree to the 1974 Act invoked the establishment of State Security Courts, adding to the conditions conducive to the practice of arbitrary arrest and torture. The deteriorating human rights situation in Bahrain is reported to have reached its height in the mid-1990s (see: 1990s uprising in Bahrain) when thousands of men, women and children were illegally detained, reports of torture and ill-treatment of detainees were documented, and trials fell short of international standards.^[1]

Reports from international human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International reveal that throughout its implementation, the State Security Law facilitated the use of routine torture of political prisoners and perpetuated substantial human rights violations for nearly 25 years. In 2001, Bahrain's current Chief of state, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa abolished the law and declared Bahrain a constitutional monarchy following a national referendum.