Bahrain's prosecutors have charged an unnamed National Intelligence Agency member in connection with the death of Mohamed al‑Mousawi, whose body was returned to his family on March 27 with bruises, burns and cuts. Witnesses and a forensic review by Physicians for Human Rights found injuries consistent with beating, whipping and electrocution. The Public Prosecution described the charge as "assault resulting in death," saying the suspect admitted the alleged crimes and is in custody, while rights groups demand an independent investigation and full disclosure to the family.
Bahrain Files Criminal Charges After Man Dies in Custody; Rights Groups Demand Independent Probe
FILE - This image released by Bahrain's Interior Ministry shows firefighters extinguishing flames after an Iranian projectile struck an industrial area in Ma'ameer, Bahrain, March 9, 2026. (Bahrain Interior Ministry via AP, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Bahrain's public prosecutors announced Thursday that they have filed criminal charges against an unnamed member of the country's National Intelligence Agency over the death in custody of Mohamed al‑Mousawi.
Al‑Mousawi's body was returned to his family on March 27 bearing bruises, burns and cuts, according to officials and multiple witnesses. The Associated Press interviewed five people who saw the body at the military hospital morgue or at the funeral, and Physicians for Human Rights reviewed photographs; both witnesses and the forensic review described injuries consistent with blunt‑force trauma, whipping with cables and electrocution.
The Public Prosecution Office on Thursday characterized the case as "assault resulting in death," saying investigators reviewed medical records and video footage and interviewed witnesses who had seen the body. Prosecutors said the individual charged admitted to the alleged offenses and has been taken into custody lawfully. The office did not explicitly use the term "torture" in its statement and did not identify the suspect's precise role within the intelligence service.
Background
Al‑Mousawi is reported to have disappeared on March 19 after attending prayers with two friends, who remain in detention. Authorities later said he had been arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran, an allegation his family rejects. Rights groups have said Bahrain used the wider regional tensions as a pretext to intensify a crackdown on critics.
Bahrain restored arrest powers to its domestic intelligence service in 2017 after earlier restrictions were placed following past abuse allegations. Human Rights Watch and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy have called for an independent investigation, public disclosure of findings and access for al‑Mousawi's family to the case file. The rights group noted the two men who disappeared with him have been able to contact their families only twice and have not disclosed their location.
Interior Ministry Response: When it announced an internal probe earlier, the Interior Ministry said images circulating from the military hospital morgue were "inaccurate and misleading."
The case will be closely watched by international rights groups and governments given Bahrain's strategic role hosting the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet and the broader regional tensions. Rights advocates say transparent, independent scrutiny and full disclosure to the victim's family are necessary to ensure accountability.
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