London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 15, 2026

University of Huddersfield: Calls to end links with Bahraini police force

University of Huddersfield: Calls to end links with Bahraini police force

Politicians and human rights groups have renewed calls for the University of Huddersfield to end its relationship with the Bahrain security services.

The university runs a masters degree in security sciences at the Royal Academy of Police in the gulf state.

A new report from two human rights groups alleges prisoners in Bahrain have been tortured at the academy.

A spokesperson for the university said it would not be commenting on the new allegations.

For nearly five years the University of Huddersfield has trained at least 25 members of the Bahrain security forces each year as part of an agreement with the Bahrain government.

In the programme, recruits are taught modules such as investigative forensic psychology and terrorism and conflict resolution.

A university press release in 2019 said the degree was taught at the Royal Academy of Police, near Jaww in the Gulf state.

A report compiled by Human Rights Watch and another campaign group, the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), details allegations of beatings, sleep deprivation, attempted rape and electrical shocks being conducted at the academy.

Sayed Ahmed AlWadaei, from BIRD, says the academy is "training the Bahraini violent police"


The report is based largely on court records and other official documents, along with the testimonies of eight men who have been sentenced to death by the Bahrain authorities.

One of the authors, BIRD's Sayed Ahmed AlWadaei, said it highlighted for the first time specific allegations of torture at a police facility in which the University of Huddersfield was delivering training to recruits.

"This is really significant they are training the Bahraini violent police - the same police that are responsible for serious crimes under international law like torture."

There are no allegations that anyone directly employed by the University of Huddersfield has engaged in or has knowledge of alleged human rights abuses being carried out at the academy.


'Human rights abuses'


In response to the allegations, the Bahrain embassy in the UK told the BBC it had put measures in place to stop human rights abuses.

It accepted there had been "individual cases of misconduct" within the police in the past, but said "these cases were investigated and dealt with accordingly."

Using information available from Freedom of Information requests the BBC estimates since 2017 the University of Huddersfield may have earned over one million pounds by providing training to the Bahraini police force.

Lord Paul Scriven, who is part of the All Parliamentary Group for Democracy and Human Rights in the Gulf, has written to the university calling on them to halt their teaching in the Gulf state.

"They need to stand back, reflect and look at the potential implication of their institution being highlighted in human rights abuses", the Liberal Democrat peer said.

"It's down to the vice-chancellor Bob Cryan to come out with concrete evidence to prove that since his institution was in Bahrain, that the academy of police hasn't been implicated in human rights abuses. If he can't do that then he has to close down this course".

The University of Huddersfield said it would not comment further on any of the allegations outlined and that it would respond to Lord Scriven's letter in due course.

See more on this story on Politics North (Yorkshire and Lincolnshire) on BBC One on Sunday 16 October at 10:00 BST or watch via BBC iPlayer here afterwards.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Doctors Warn Expanded Pharmacy First Scheme Could Put Patients at Risk
British Airlines Cut Short-Haul Capacity as Jet Fuel Costs Rise
UK News Publishers Forecast 40% Search Traffic Drop as AI Overviews Expand
Axel Springer Wins Approval for £575 Million Daily Telegraph Acquisition
London Mayor Sadiq Khan Opposes Heathrow Third Runway Over Climate Targets
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Leaders Hold Summit Seeking Greater Autonomy
UK Energy Price Cap Set to Rise to £1,723 in October
UK Treasury Warns Middle East Conflict Is Threatening Economic Growth
Labour Moves to Retrospectively Cap Overseas Political Donations After Reform UK Funding Surge
HMRC Warns Nearly Seven Million Adults Are Unclear About State Pension Entitlements
UK Parliament Passes Sovereign Grant Reform Before Conference Recess
British Rail Passengers Gain Automatic Right to Switch Operators During Disruptions
Burnham Hosts Downing Street Business Summit as UK Fiscal Pressure Builds
Labour Government Moves to Challenge £72 Million in Reform UK Crypto Donations
UK Advertising Industry Warns Wider Junk Food Rules Could Put £1 Billion in Media Spending at Risk
Cornwall Opens Devolution Talks With UK Government Over Transport and Local Services
UK Parliament Considers Sovereign Grant Reform Setting Royal Funding at £99.9 Million
Trades Union Congress Calls for Income-Based Energy Tariff Funded by Higher Bank Levy
UK Prime Minister Rejects Second Scottish Independence Referendum
House of Lords Begins Scrutiny of Bill to Lower UK Voting Age to 16
Anthropic Says Claude Was Exploited in Weapons-Related and State-Linked Cyber Activity
Institute of Directors Urges UK Government to Avoid Business Tax Increases in Autumn Budget
Rising Gilt Yields Cut UK Fiscal Headroom to About £13 Billion Ahead of Budget
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Services and Technology Activity Strengthen
UK Government Promises Clearer Student Loan Guidance After Repayment Backlash
Charities Warn Unpaid Carers May Die Before Receiving Government Compensation
Dover Unrest Prompts Review of UK Counter-Extremism Strategy
Celtic Summit Leaders Reassert Right to Pursue Independence From UK
NHS Records Busiest Summer on Record Amid Severe Heatwaves
Harrods Faces Potential £150 Million Compensation Bill Over Al Fayed Abuse Claims
UK Parliament Opens Debate on Landmark Assisted Dying Legislation
Metropolitan Police Investigate Reform UK Over Alleged Foreign Electoral Donations
UK Economy Expands 0.4% in July as AI Investment Boosts Activity
Bank of England Signals Caution on Rates as Inflation Pressures Persist
Tesco Alerts Police After Scammers Use Its Branding in AI-Generated Fraud
Lindy Cameron Appointed First Female Permanent Under-Secretary at UK Foreign Office
UK Government to Rewrite Student Loan Guidance After Mis-Selling Criticism
Welsh First Minister Warns Andy Burnham Government to Respect Devolution
Trump’s Falkland Islands Remarks Trigger New Diplomatic Tension With Britain
Reform UK Receives Record £72 Million Donation From Cryptocurrency Billionaires
UK Bans Imports From Israeli West Bank Settlements and Sanctions Supporting Institutions
Bayeux Tapestry Draws Large Crowds at British Museum
Cuts to International Aid Raise Concerns Over Fragile Overseas Health Systems
UK Airlines and Logistics Operators Adjust Capacity as Fuel Costs Rise
UK Mortgage Arrears Edge Lower in Second Quarter
UK Government Advances New Devolution Offers for English Councils
UK Parliament Begins Debate on NHS Governance and Single Patient Record Reforms
Andy Burnham Launches Number 10 North Devolution Initiative
UK Parliament Rejects Assisted Dying Bill for Terminally Ill Adults
UK Bans Goods From Israeli Settlements in the Occupied West Bank
×