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.
30 April 2019 – The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) wrote to President Macron urging him to address human rights concerns during tomorrow’s
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,
20 December 2018 – On Monday 17 December, the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) attended an event in Parliament chaired by Liberal Democrat
29 November 2018 – Today, Bahrain’s Fourth High Criminal Court sentenced two individuals to death on alleged terrorism-related charges, and sentenced three others to between
12 November 2018 – Today, Bahrain’s Fourth High Criminal Court sentenced four individuals to death on charges related to terrorism, three of them being tried
24 October 2018 – On Monday 22 October 2018, Bahrain’s Court of Cassation overturned the death sentences of political prisoners Mohammed Ramadan and Husain Moosa,
1 February 2018 – Today, the Fourth High Criminal Court in Bahrain concluded the trial of 32 defendants. The court issued a death sentence against
Today, the Fourth High Criminal Court in Bahrain has issued sentences to 60 dissidents, who have been accused of forming part of a “terrorist cell”
Maher al-Khabbaz Faces Imminent Execution after Bahraini Court of Cassation Upheld his Death Sentence 30 January 2018 – Yesterday, the Bahraini Court of Cassation
10 October 2017 – The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) condemns the rise in the use of executions in the Gulf, four decades
