The European Parliament adopted by 633 votes to 11, with 45 abstentions, a resolution on the human rights situation in the Kingdom of Bahrain, in particular the cases of death row inmates and human rights defenders.
The text adopted in plenary was tabled by the EPP, S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA, ECR and the Left groups.
Parliament is deeply concerned that ten years after the Bahraini ‘Arab Spring’ uprising, the human rights situation in the country continues to worsen, with the application of the death penalty, arbitrary arrests, prosecution and harassment of human rights defenders, and denial of civil and political rights and freedoms of association, assembly, and expression both online and offline.
The resolution strongly condemned the sentencing to death of Mohammed Ramadan and Husain Ali Moosa, and urged the Bahraini authorities, and in particular His Majesty Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to halt their execution immediately. Their sentences must also be commuted and there must be a retrial that fully complies with international fair trial standards.
Parliament strongly deplored the lifting of the de facto moratorium on the use of the death penalty. It called on the Bahraini authorities to:
- introduce an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty as a step towards its abolition;
- release, immediately and unconditionally, all human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience, who have been detained and sentenced for merely exercising their right to freedom of expression, and to drop all charges against them;
- guarantee a safe space for civil society organisations and independent media;
- stop the harassment of human rights defenders and to immediately lift the travel ban on them.
The resolution also called for amendments to the country’s citizenship law in order to restore Bahraini citizenship to those individuals who have been unfairly stripped of it and to its labour legislation to ensure that domestic workers are able to benefit from the same rights as other workers, including limits on their working hours, weekly rest days and a minimum wage.
Lastly, Parliament condemned the continuing use of torture, including denial of medical care, and other cruel and degrading treatment or punishment of detainees, including peaceful protesters and civilians.