The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) welcomes the adoption by the European Union Parliament of a resolution condemning human rights violations in Bahrain, after it was voted on by an overwhelming majority.
633 MPs out of 689 voted in favor, on the draft resolution condemning the increase in the use of the death penalty, the continued use of torture against detainees, and the persecution of human rights defenders in Bahrain.
The resolution was put forward and worked on a year ago by MEP Marc Tarabella, with the support of local and international human rights organizations.
The resolution calls on Bahrain to stop the death penalty as a step towards abolition, and also calls on the Kingdom to review all death sentences to ensure that they respect international standards and guarantee justice for victims of human rights violations.
The European Parliament stressed the fact that there are currently 26 prisoners under sentence of death facing imminent execution. It urged Bahrain to introduce a moratorium on executions, and particularly condemned the sentences of Mohammed Ramadan and Hussain Ali Moosa.
BCHR stresses the European Parliament’s decision calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience, including the Bahraini-Danish citizen Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, as well as Naji Fateel, Abdulwahab Hussain, Ali Hajee, Sheikh Ali Salman and Hassan Mushaima, who have been detained and sentenced merely exercising their right to freedom of expression. It also condemned the ban imposed on prominent human rights defender Nabeel Rajab from participating in human rights activities, and called on the authority in Bahrain to conduct an immediate and impartial investigation into allegations of ill-treatment while in detention.
The European Parliament stressed the need for Bahrain to stop arbitrary harassment, arrest, torture and persecution of individuals for simply exercising their civil and political rights and their freedoms of association, assembly and expression, whether online or offline. It mentioned the importance of allowing media (“Al-Wasat” newspaper), civil society organizations, journalists, lawyers and activists to carry out their work in defending human rights in Bahrain.
The European Parliament concluded its debate by welcoming further dialogue on human rights between the European Union and Bahrain.