Bahrain Mirror: Three United Nations rapporteurs expressed concern after the death penalty was issued against two Bahrainis, who were allegedly tortured to extract confession to the killing of a policeman in February 2014.

The experts are: Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnes Callamard, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Nils Melzer.

The experts said in a statement that the Bahraini authorities arrested two of its citizens, Mohammad Ramadan and Hussain Moosa Ali Moosa Mohammad, in February 2014, on charges of killing a policeman in a bomb attack. Subsequently, they were convicted in December 2014 and sentenced to death. The appeals court upheld the ruling in March 2015, and the Court of Cassation confirmed it in November 2015.

According to the statement, in March 2018 the Special Investigation Unit of the Public Prosecution Office and the Ministry of Justice requested a review of the cases in the Court of Cassation in light of the availability of new evidence, including allegations of torture. In October 2018, the Court of Cassation overturned the death sentence and returned the case to the Court of Appeal, but in January 2020 the Court of Appeals again issued that death penalty against the two men.

The experts expressed their deep concern over allegations of Mr. Mohammad Ramadan and Mr. Hussain Moosa Ali Moosa Mohammad being subjected to torture and other forms of cruel treatment, forcing them into giving cofessions. They further called for officially stopping all death sentences to abolition the death penalty completely.

The rapporteurs noted that accepting evidence obtained under torture violates the right to a fair trial according to legal standards, adding that if the accusations are not proven true, in this case the death penalty turns into arbitrary killing.

They also urged the Government of Bahrain to remind itself of its commitments to prevent all forms of torture and ill treatment, investigate such crimes, punish the perpetrators and provide the victims with necessary treatment as well as rehabilitate them.

The experts urged all concerned authorities to immediately halt all plans to implement the death penalty against these two men, quash the death sentences issued against them and guarantee trying them according to the law and international standards.

Arabic Version