11 April 2019 – Yesterday, Bahrain’s Council of Representatives passed amendments expanding the use of the death penalty in Bahrain. New legislation would introduce tougher punishments, including the death penalty, for manufacturing, possessing, distributing or using explosives.
The legislation will now pass to Bahrain’s Shura Council for approval. If the Shura Council approves the law, it will be sent to the king for ratification.
Executions resumed in Bahrain in 2017 after a seven year moratorium. Currently, at least twenty people are facing the death penalty in Bahrain.
BIRD’s Director of Advocacy Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei commented: “Bahrain is already experiencing a spike in death sentences since executions resumed in 2017, culminating in the unlawful execution of three men in 2017. The new repressive measures will not only add fuel to this fire but are also a clear breach of Bahrain’s international legal obligations under the treaties they are party to. This disastrous decision must be immediately quashed by the Shura Council.”
