AI Slams Bahrain’s Death Sentences for Two Political Dissidents
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Manama government has upheld death sentences against two political dissidents, Amnesty International said, condemning the move as a violation of the right to life besides the ultimate inhuman and degrading punishment.
The London-based rights group in a post published on its official Bahrain page on Twitter, announced that Bahrain’s supreme court of appeal, officially known as Court of Cassation, passed the verdicts against Zuhair Ibrahim Jassim Abdullah and Hussein Abdullah Khalil Rashid despite the fact that “their confessions were extracted under #torture. This brings the total number of #deathpenalty cases awaiting ratification by the king to 10.”
It added, “The right to life and the right not to be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment are recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments.”
“Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception. The death penalty is a violation of the right to life and the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment,” the group pointed out, according to Press TV.
On Monday, Bahrain’s Court of Cassation upheld death sentence against political detainee Zuhair Ibrahim Jassim Abdullah. He is the ninth person condemned to death sentence pending the ratification of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Human rights organizations say that Ibrahim and his companions were severely tortured.
Zuheir, along with others, was accused of targeting a bus for regime forces in the western coastal village of Dumistan back in 2014, which left one dead and several others injured.
International human rights organizations say Ibrahim and other defendants were severely tortured to make confessions.
Anti-regime Bahraini protesters have been staging almost daily demonstrations in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom ever since a pro-democracy uprising began there several years ago.
The demonstrators are calling for the ouster of the Al Khalifa regime and establishment of a just and conclusive system representing all Bahraini nationals.
The Manama regime, in return, has ignored the calls and is pressing ahead with its heavy-handed crackdown and persecution of human rights campaigners and political dissidents.
Moreover, Bahrain’s parliament approved the trial of civilians at military tribunals on March 5, 2017. The move drew widespread condemnation from human rights bodies and activists, and was described as imposition of an undeclared martial law across the country.
The Bahraini monarch rubber-stamped the constitutional amendment on April 3 that year.
