Dr Layla Youssef Al-Hashemi

Bahrain Expert — Human Rights, Political Situation & Asylum Cases

Expert at The Human Rights Experts, an international expert witness organisation.

We provide expert witness reports for asylum cases worldwide, covering human rights violations, political persecution, and systemic oppression. Our reports are trusted by lawyers, courts, and immigration authorities, in full compliance with procedural standards and tribunal requirements in the UK (CPR Part 35, Upper Tribunal PD, First-tier Tribunal IAC PD), USA (Federal Rules of Evidence), Canada, and the EU.

Occupation

• Country Witness Expert on Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, and Oman
• Human Rights Specialist
• Legal Researcher and Academic Consultant
• Independent Journalist and Investigative Reporter on Human Rights

Expertise

I provide expert analysis on all five Refugee Convention grounds — political opinion, religion, ethnicity, membership of a particular social group (including LGBT and gender-based cases), and nationality — with a focus on the following countries:

Bahrain: The Bahraini government continues to suppress all forms of political opposition through mass trials, prolonged solitary confinement, and the systematic use of torture and ill-treatment in detention facilities, targeting activists, clerics, and community organisers from the Shia majority population. Religious discrimination manifests in the exclusion of Shia Bahrainis from key security, military, and governmental posts, and in restrictions on religious gatherings and the demolition of places of worship. Women face legal inequality in personal status matters, and survivors of domestic violence encounter barriers to justice including the absence of a comprehensive domestic violence law. LGBT individuals are prosecuted under broadly worded morality statutes and face entrapment operations by security forces, and migrant workers in construction, domestic service, and the hospitality sector remain vulnerable to forced labour and debt bondage.

Qatar: Qatari authorities maintain strict limits on freedom of expression, with journalists, bloggers, and social media users facing prosecution under cybercrime and anti-terrorism legislation for criticizing government policy or the ruling family. Non-citizen residents, who constitute the vast majority of Qatar's population, have no pathway to permanent residency or citizenship and can be deported at the discretion of authorities, while the kafala system — despite recent reforms — continues to restrict worker mobility and access to justice. Women remain subject to male guardianship provisions in key aspects of personal status law, and domestic violence is inadequately addressed by law and social services. LGBT individuals face imprisonment under Sharia-based penal provisions, and members of minority religious communities face restrictions on public worship and proselytization.

UAE: The United Arab Emirates employs a sophisticated surveillance apparatus and broadly drafted security laws to suppress political dissent, targeting activists, lawyers, academics, and journalists with enforced disappearance, prolonged solitary confinement, and unfair trials before security courts. Non-Muslim religious communities face restrictions on worship and are prohibited from proselytizing, while Muslim communities outside the state-approved religious framework face monitoring and sanctions. Women who report sexual violence risk prosecution for extramarital relations, and migrant domestic workers are excluded from key labour law protections, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. LGBT individuals face criminal penalties including imprisonment and potential deportation, and stateless Bidoon populations are denied civil documentation, employment rights, and access to public services.

Oman: Omani authorities restrict freedom of expression and assembly, with security forces monitoring and detaining individuals who criticize the Sultan, the government, or state policies online or in public gatherings, and labour activists face arrest and prosecution for organizing strikes. While Oman is generally more tolerant of religious diversity than some Gulf neighbours, non-Ibadi Muslim communities and non-Muslims face limitations on religious practice, construction of places of worship, and religious education. Women face discrimination under personal status law, and domestic violence remains largely unaddressed by criminal statutes. LGBT individuals face imprisonment under the penal code, and migrant workers — particularly those in domestic service, construction, and fishing — experience exploitation and trafficking facilitated by employer-tied visa systems.

Experience

• Served as an expert witness in over 65 asylum proceedings before UK immigration tribunals and US immigration courts, providing country condition analysis on political repression, sectarian discrimination, and labour exploitation across the Gulf states.
• Delivered oral testimony before the First-tier Tribunal (IAC) and submitted written expert reports to the Board of Immigration Appeals on the treatment of political prisoners, Shia communities, and migrant workers in Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, and Oman.
• Produced comprehensive risk assessments and country guidance reports on detention conditions, judicial fairness, and the availability of state protection for vulnerable groups in the Arabian Peninsula.
• Held a teaching and research position in International Law and Gulf Studies at the University of Bahrain, with extensive fieldwork examining labour migration governance, citizenship policies, and civil society restrictions across the region.
• Partnered with international non-governmental organisations to monitor and document human rights conditions in the Gulf, including arbitrary detention, torture allegations, and restrictions on freedom of association. Expert member of The Human Rights Experts.

Full professional experience is available in the CV. Please email us to receive the detailed expert CV.

Publications

Available upon request and detailed in the expert CV.

Languages

• Arabic (Native)
• English (Fluent)
• Farsi (Professional proficiency)

Religious Groups Expertise

All religious groups

Contact Email

info@thehuman-rights.com