Yousef al-Mahafdha

Sayed Yusuf Almuhfdha is a human rights advisor and researcher. Eight days later, his family reported that a group of 25 plainclothes police officers had come to his home at night and searched it, though al-Mahafda himself had been absent. His family was reportedly told that if al-Mahafda did not come to the police station voluntarily, the police officers would return "every night" until he did. BCHR also alleged that security forces were working to block al-Mahafdha's travels. On 5 December 2011, al-Mahafdha, Rajab, and Mohammed Al-Maskati of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights were named in a death threat by Adel Flaifel, a former State Securities Services official, causing the International Federation for Human Rights and World Organisation Against Torture to call for an international letter-writing campaign on their behalf. On 6 January 2012, a stun grenade thrown by security forces injured al-Mahafda's arm during a protest.

On 25 January 2012, al-Mahafdha participated in an open seminar organised by Al Wefaq, Bahrain's main opposition party, in which he criticized the government on freedom of press, suppression of peaceful protests, blocking opposition websites and delaying visits of international human rights organizations. After the arrest of BCHR president Nabeel Rajab, al-Mahafdha became acting head of the organization. The Washington Post described the arrest as likely to "embolden Shiite-led demonstrators seeking a greater political voice in the Sunni-ruled nation". Amnesty International designated him a prisoner of conscience, "detained solely for exercising his rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly", and called for his immediate release.