العربية
29 May 2023 – Saudi Ministry of Interior announced through its Twitter account the execution of 2 Bahraini men: Jafar Mohammed Ali Mohammed Jomaa Sultan and Sadeq Majid Abdul Rahim Ibrahim Tamer, who have been detained in its prisons since 8 May 2015.
Gulf Institute for Democracy and Human Rights (GIDHR), Bahrain Forum for Human Rights (BFHR), and SALAM for Democracy and Human Rights said in a joint statement: “We condemn the carrying out of the arbitrary death sentence by Saudi authorities against detainees Sultan and Tamer; following arbitrary detention for more than eight years, unfair trial marred by numerous legal violations, and in the presence of a politicised and unfair judiciary that lacks the most basic standards of fair trials in political cases.”
The execution crime committed by the Saudi authorities today is considered “extrajudicial killing”, as both victims had denied the accusations against them after being subjected to torture and ill-treatment. Furthermore, the Saudi authorities continue to use the charge of “terrorism” with its vague definitions to punish its opponents as part of a series of repressive campaigns purely for political reasons, targeting the people of Al Qatif region, particularly. The Saudi authorities have committed numerous political executions against prisoners of conscience within their prisons, with the most recent being a few days ago.
Commenting, Yahya Alhadid, the President of GIDHR, said in a tweet: “The execution of two Bahraini youths by the Saudi government is considered to be extrajudicial killing. This crime is added to the crimes committed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has not ceased since the beginning of this year to execute those convicted in cases of political and sectarian backgrounds.”
Baqer Darwish, the president of BFHR, said that “Saudi Arabia commits today a crime of extrajudicial killing by executing two Bahraini youths following a sham trial based on confessions extracted by torture. This is the ninth arbitrary political death sentence since the beginning of 2023.” He also pointed out that the violations against the victims of execution in the past period did not stop after implementing sentence but extended to depriving the families of participating in mourning ceremonies or handing over the bodies of the victims.
Signatory organisations:
- Gulf Institute for Democracy and Human Rights (GIDHR)
- Bahrain Forum for Human Rights (BFHR)
- SALAM for Democracy and Human Rights
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