Despite pressure from the UN and the international community, the death penalty continues to be part of the Bahraini legal system.
In January 2017, capital punishment resumed within the Kingdom, with three torture victims, Abbas AlSameea, Sami Mushaima and Ali Alsingace, executed six days after the Court of Cassation upheld their death sentence. Crimes that warrant the death penalty include treason, terrorism, apostasy and drug trafficking. The absence of a precise definition of terrorism has allowed the Bahraini government to exploit its legal system so as to criminalise acts of opposition, free expression and assembly. The death penalty is conducted via firing squads.
As of 2021, there are at least 26 on death row, 12 of which have been sentenced in political cases. 11 of the 12 allege being tortured in order to extract a confession that was then used against them at their trial.
All 26 on death row are at imminent risk of execution, having exhausted all domestic remedies. The final step in their case before implementation of the death sentence is the ratification of the sentence by the King.
Not only does the death penalty itself stand in conflict with the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights, but those sentenced to death regularly report instances of undue process, torture and violations of human rights.
Bahrain has arrested family members of several political prisoners over peaceful protest activity, including father and brother of death row torture survivor Mohammed Ramadhan Three
25 March 2021 – A coalition of 61 cross-party UK parliamentarians have written to new F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali urging him to “establish an independent
11 March 2021 – The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly in a plenary session today to adopt an urgent resolution condemning human rights abuses in
15 rights groups have written to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging him to address a severe deterioration of human rights in Bahrain by
Please note: This letter was sent on 25 January and it was acknowledged by the European External Action Service (EEAS). The Bahraini foreign minister visit
Secretary of State for the Middle East and North Africa promises to publish future summaries of activities funded by the secretive Integrated Activity Fund (IAF)
24 September 2020 – Today, Bahraini photojournalist Moosa Mohammed was convicted of trespass on a diplomatic premises by Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot at Westminster Magistrate’s
Bahrain: Joint Letter to Member and Observer States of the United Nations Human Rights Council Delegates Re: Upcoming 45th Session of the Human Rights Council
Beirut, 23 July 2020 – King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain should commute the death sentences of Mohamed Ramadan and Hussein Ali Moosa, 16 international
13 July 2020 – Bahrain’s highest court, the Court of Cassation, has confirmed the reimposition of death sentences against torture victims Mohamed Ramadhan and Husain
