SRW Reports Killings, Arrests, Persecution of Shia Across Eight Countries in October 2026
SRW Reports Killings, Arrests, Persecution of Shia Across Eight Countries in October 2026
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The International Organization for the Defense of Shia Rights (Shia Rights Watch) has released its monthly report documenting alleged violations against Shia Muslims between October 1 and November 1, 2026.
Based on field reports, health ministry data, and information from local and international human rights organizations, the report records incidents across eight countries. The organization describes its figures as preliminary and says they may be revised as further information emerges, particularly in cases of enforced disappearance and unexplained killings.
In Bahrain, the report lists numerous arrests, prison sentences and alleged assaults on detainees, including minors. It says several people received sentences ranging from two years to life imprisonment, while religious reciters and organizers of mourning ceremonies were among those detained. In Syria, it documents killings, kidnappings, arrests, attacks on religious shrines and the seizure of several shrines in the Masyaf area. In Pakistan, reported incidents include the partial demolition of a mosque, the disappearance of an activist and the arrest of a Shia figure in Parachinar. Afghanistan saw the reported killing of three brothers in Maidan Wardak.
The report also records the execution of five detainees in Saudi Arabia and the arrest of a young man in Qatif. In Kuwait, it cites the exclusion of Shia publishing houses from the international book fair and court sentences, including death sentences against three people. In Iraq, it reports two deaths and two injuries in a roadside bombing near Mosul, as well as one death and two injuries in an attack near Kirkuk.
The organization says it omitted some violations because conclusive evidence was unavailable, despite believing that further incidents had occurred. It maintains that its work is non-political and non-profit, and is intended to promote justice and equality.
