London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

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
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×