A 61-page report through Human Rights Watch and Bahrain’s Institute for Rights and Democracy found that defendants were denied evidence, a lawyer, and the opportunity to cross-examine “secret” sources. In a decade, the use of capital punishment has exceeded 600%.
Manama (AsiaNews) – Bahraini courts have conducted “mock trials” in recent years, with convictions for coercion, torture and human rights violations.
In one recent case, 8 men were sentenced to death, according to a joint report published by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy.
Early next month, the Gulf country will host a convention on interreligious dialogue, which Pope Francis will attend. They were convicted on the basis of confessions received physical and mental violence.
“The numerous human rights violations underlying these death sentences reflect a formula of justice but a style of injustice,” Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
In some cases, defendants were denied access to evidence used in the trial and, in one case, a defendant was not allowed to question the “secret sources” used against them. In addition, none of them was provided with a lawyer for their interrogations.
“It is appalling to sentence others to death amid allegations of torture and after grossly unfair trials,” said Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, HRW representative and leader of the report.
It urges the Bahraini government to “immediately take all death sentences and. . . to repair the de facto moratorium on executions. “
Last year, death sentences in Bahrain increased “dramatically,” with another 51 people sentenced to execution compared to seven in the past decade, since anti-government protests erupted in 2011 in the Arab Spring. That’s an increase of six hundred cents.
The report found that 88% of men executed in Bahrain since 2011 have been convicted of “terrorism,” and 100% of them said they had been tortured.
“Bahraini officials proclaim that the government respects fundamental human rights, but on a case-by-case basis, courts have relied on forced confessions,” Page said.
The Kingdom of Bahrain is ruled by Al-Khalifa, a Sunni dynasty, but Shiites make up 60-70% of the population and have demanded constitutional changes as well as social and economic rights.
In 2011, the Arab Spring, riots broke out in the country, the best friend of the United States and Saudi Arabia. The riots were quelled by the support of the Saudi army.
A 61-page report through Human Rights Watch and Bahrain’s Institute for Rights and Democracy found that defendants were denied evidence, a lawyer, and the opportunity to cross-examine “secret” sources. In a decade, the use of capital punishment has exceeded 600%.