Exiled and living under constant surveillance, Mariam continues her relentless fight against the Bahraini government’s repression. Her father has been a political prisoner for over a decade, and while she advocates for his release, her activism has made her a high-profile target. Since she left Bahrain under threat of arrest, Mariam has faced state-sponsored digital and physical harassment, even while in exile in Denmark.
In Bahrain, platforms like Twitter became indispensable for coordinating protests and documenting human rights abuses during the 2011 uprising. “[We tweeted] in real time about what was happening when we were getting attacked by the police. It was also for communication between us,” she explains. But digital freedom quickly turned dangerous as the government also adapted its strategies to exploit these digital tools – deploying phishing attacks and throttling internet speeds in protest zones. She finds herself in a familiar paradox as many other human rights defenders face when using digital platforms: “I started realizing that the tools we are using as activists, as a method of trying to make change in the country, [were] also being used by the government against us.” Yet, despite the risk, she continues to use these tools, knowing they help her connect with defenders back home and raise awareness.
As a woman tirelessly advocating for human rights while in exile, Mariam has faced explicitly gendered threats. Sexualized rumors, accusations of promiscuity, and claims of abortions circulate online to tarnish her reputation. This kind of gender-based digital repression is not new for Mariam. In one instance, she was the subject of a degrading Twitter poll asking whether her breasts were real or fake, with photo edits exaggerating her chest — a campaign disturbingly launched as she spoke about Bahrain’s political prisoners, particularly on the plight of detained women. “[When they target women], it’s sexually explicit,” she notes. Gender-based attacks have compounded attacks on other aspects of her identity, including religion: “And because I am Muslim, that’s the way they target me.” Her male peers, by contrast, are often accused of homosexuality. These smear campaigns have also affected her family, with her parents targeted as a tactic to pressure her into silence.
Even offline, the attacks persist. Stalkers have followed her, often with cameras. During advocacy trips, she has been followed by people attempting to capture photos to create rumours of “immoral behaviour” that fuel the defamation campaigns flooding the internet. These campaigns run in parallel to her policy engagement and public appearances.
Mariam refrains from reporting these online and offline threats to law enforcement, believing the system is not on her side. Diaspora communities face systemic discrimination, and she feels Western governments and institutions are complicit in ignoring, or even enabling, attacks on exiled activists, especially when the regimes targeting them are political allies. “[The police] were never a symbol of protection for me, but one of threat,” she explains.
Mariam’s challenges extend beyond attacks sponsored by her country of origin. In Denmark, she faces racist hostility and Islamophobic abuse. “Some days I get as much, if not more, abuse from racist Danish people than from pro-government trolls,” she says, recounting comments suggesting she “should go home.” Even her advocacy for her father’s release, who is a Danish citizen, invites backlash and doubts about her belonging in Danish society. “I don’t feel safe in the West either,” she admits.
While she has managed to avoid physical imprisonment in Bahrain, Mariam still lives in constant anxiety, strained by the possibility of surveillance. She fears her devices are compromised by spyware, making her vulnerable to monitoring and tracking.
Her activism now extends to training other exiled activists in digital security, a responsibility she views as essential. “Governments go after the weakest link. If you’re the weak link, you put everyone else at risk,” she emphasizes. Yet, the threat landscape continues to evolve, with spyware like Pegasus exemplifying the advanced technologies authoritarian regimes deploy. “This technology creates constant anxiety. It’s not only about access to devices but about making you fearful that they could access them at any time.”
The burden on Mariam has been psychological, social, and professional. Despite her talents, Mariam has lost confidence that she could secure employment with international human rights organizations due to “constant targeting” and security threats from the Bahraini government. Yet, amid her tireless advocacy, Mariam remains undeterred yet critical of the systemic injustices that allow regimes to repress activists like her with impunity, the complicity of Western institutions, and the exploitation of digital platforms by authoritarian governments. To her, justice is more than freedom of speech – it is about building a digital space where voices from the global majority are truly heard.