As the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), we are writing to express our deepest concern over the cases of death row inmates Mohamed Ramadhan Issa Ali Hussain and Hussain Ali Moosa Mohamed. The verdict on their case has been delayed to 08 January 2020.
They were sentenced to death in December 2014 for their alleged involvement in the explosion in al-Dair on 14 February 2014 that resulted in the death of a policeman. They took the judgment to the Appeal’s Court, on the grounds that they were falsely accused, tortured and coerced to confess to a crime they had not committed.
On 16 November 2015, the Bahraini Court of Cassation rejected their final appeal and upheld their death sentence. The two men are now at imminent risk of execution.
BCHR therefore urges the international community to condemn the high number of death sentences passed in the country; to call for an official moratorium on all executions; to call for a review of all death sentences to ensure that the trials in question adhere to international standards; and to continue makimg reference to Bahrain in the EU and Member States’ statements under item 4 in the upcoming sessions of the UN Human Rights Council;
We call on the Vice President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the European External Action Service, the Council and the Member States to systematically raise the concerns about the violation of human rights in Bahrain and to consider the introduction of targeted measures against those responsible for grave human rights violations.
BCHR also calls on the Government of Bahrain to:
•Postpone the verdict to a later date in the cases of the Mohamed Ramadhan Issa Ali Hussain and Hussain Ali Moosa Mohamed in view to ensure an outcome of a trial that has fully complied with international fair trial standards that excludes evidence obtained under torture, and without recourse to the death penalty;
•Cooperate with the UN Special Rapporteurs (notably on torture, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion and belief, independence of judges and lawyers, and human rights defenders) and to issue a standing invitation in their favour;
•Allow an official delegation of Members of the European Parliament and civil society representatives to visit prisons concluding for the purposes of making contact with detained human rights defenders;
• Release immediately and unconditionally Mr. Rajab, for any remaining charges against him to be dropped, and for the authorities to ensure that, pending his release, he is not subjected to torture or other ill-treatment and has regular family visits and access to lawyers of his choice, as well as adequate healthcare;
•Abide by their international obligations and commitments to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms and ensure a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders;
•Deplore the poor prison conditions in the country and the use of torture by Bahraini security and prison personnel;
•Refrain from all torture, cruel and degrading treatment of detainees, to fully investigate all allegations of violation of basic rights of prisoners and torture and to bring the perpetrators to justice;
•Release all illegally detained prisoners, including human rights defenders arbitrarily arrested, charged and convicted for carrying out their legitimate and peaceful human rights activities;
As the BCHR, we recommend that the government of Bahrain abolishes the death sentence legally and judicially, and invite them to join the second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on the abolition of the death penalty.