Mahdi Isa Mahdi Abu  Deeb is a Bahraini teacher and human rights defender who co-founded and led the dissolved Bahrain Teachers Association and served as Assistant Secretary‑General of the Arab Teachers Union. He called on teachers to strike in solidarity with pro‑democracy protesters during the Arab Spring. On 6 April 2011, security forces raided a relative’s home, beat and arrested him, and he was held incommunicado and subjected to 64 days of solitary confinement during which he alleges torture including beatings, suspension by limbs, electric shocks and mock executions. Tried by a military court on charges including halting education, inciting hatred and attempting to overthrow the regime, he received a 10 years prison sentence on 25 September 2011, later reduced to 5 years by an appeals court on 21 September 2012. His request to delay enforcement of his sentence until torture allegations were investigated was rejected by the Court of Cassation on 1 July 2013. He was finally released on 5 April 2016 after serving five years.