Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa

Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa

Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (Arabic: حمد بن عيسى بن سلمان آل خليفة‎ Ḥamad bin ʿĪsā bin Salmān ʾĀl Ḫalīfah; born 28 January 1950) is the King of Bahrain (since 14 February 2002), having previously been its Emir (from 6 March 1999). He is the son of Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the previous Emir. The country has been run by the al-Khalifa dynasty since 1783.

Critics have described King Hamad's reign as authoritarian or dictatorial, and his Sunni government's treatment of Bahrain's Shia majority has been called into question. During the Bahraini uprising, protestors have called for an end to King Hamad's reign, and the government has been called out for gross human rights violations and the murder of protestors and civilians. Bahraini security forces have been criticized for the indiscriminate abduction and torture of dissidents.