Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] reported [text] on Thursday that nearly five years after Bahrain’s Day of Rage [BBC report] protests sparked international concern over Bahraini government accountability in human rights, the hope for reform has dwindled. In Bahrain, February 14, 2011, was marked by a day of protests that ultimately ended in the death and torture of human rights activists. AI reported that peaceful activists in government opposition still face arbitrary detention and even physical punishment. AI called for the government to take accountability not only for current conditions but for the security forces that committed abuses during the initial protests.

Bahrain has faced criticism [JURIST report] from international human rights organizations in recent years for its handling of pro-reform protests. Bahrain has tortured detainees [JURIST report] in the years following the country’s 2011 protests [BBC timeline], despite a government promise to stop such abuses, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] reported in November. In September 32 nations issued a joint statement [JURIST report] that was read to the UN Human Rights Council [official website] discussing human rights concerns in Bahrain. In April AI reported that reforms in Bahrain failed to end [JURIST report] serious human rights violations. The report detailed the continued jailing of activists and mistreatment of detainees.