On February 3, 2022, Bahraini electrical engineer and peaceful human rights activist Khalil al-Halwachi was released from Jaw Prison.  He had served 7 years of a 10-year prison sentence.  Mr. al-Halwachi was released as a result of criminal sentencing reforms that allow prisoners to be considered for alternative sentencing in non-custodial settings.  His alternative sentence consists of a number of measures, to which he had to agree in advance of his release.  We understand he is banned from travel for one year and may not attend gatherings, particularly of a political nature.  He must also perform up to eight hours a day of unpaid community work for the remaining three years of his sentence, and his movements can be monitored at any time.

Mr. al-Halwachi was a founding member of the Islamic Action Society (AMAL), an opposition political society that was eventually dissolved by the government in 2012.  Two years later, in September 2014, he was arrested in a raid on his home by security officers and accused of terrorism-related offenses, seemingly for his peaceful expressive activities as a vocal opposition leader and human rights advocate.  His case was plagued by violations of the right to a fair trial.  When Mr. al-Halwachi spoke about the unfairness of the proceedings at a court hearing in 2016, he was charged with “insulting the judiciary.”  In March 2017, two years after his trial began, he was convicted of spurious terrorism-related charges and insulting the judiciary and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

During his imprisonment, Mr. al-Halwachi was held under harsh conditions of confinement, including periods of solitary confinement and lack of access to adequate medical care and treatment.  As a result, his health has declined significantly.  We are heartened that he is now able to access much-needed medical treatment.