Plea for clemency for two men on death row in Bahrain

The Bar Human Rights Committee (BHRC) has called for clemency for two men facing imminent execution in Bahrain.

It submitted a petition for clemency to the Bahraini Government on behalf of Mohamed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa, convicted of carrying out a bombing in Bahrain in 2014.

Both men insist that police tortured them into making false confessions.

BHRC also calls for the judicial processes to be reopened as fair trial standards were not complied with, particularly the need to observe ‘super due process’ that is required in capital cases by international law. In these circumstances, it said that the convictions should not remain.

BHRC also expressed concern over the lack of investigation into the torture allegations on which the convictions were based.

Kirsty Brimelow QC, BHRC Chair, said: ‘The UK government has carried out international human rights law training of the Special Investigation Unit in Bahrain. In these circumstances, it must have an enhanced duty to ensure the implementation of international human rights law.

‘Words need to be reflected in action. There must be a transparent investigation of this evidence of torture. Also, at minimum, the UK government should join the Bar Human Rights Committee’s call for clemency to be applied to the death penalty sentences.’