Saudi Arabia Urged to Halt Execution of Two Bahrainis

RIYADH (KI) – Amnesty International urged Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to halt the execution of two Bahraini men over alleged terrorism-related crimes, as use of the death penalty spikes in the conservative kingdom.
The kingdom has so far killed more than 100 people since the beginning of this year and executions have more than doubled compared to 2020, Amnesty said in a report Tuesday analyzing the use of the death penalty worldwide.
In a separate statement, Amnesty highlighted the cases of Jaafar Mohammad Sultan and Sadeq Majeed Thamer, two Shia men from neighboring Bahrain whose death sentences were upheld by Saudi Arabia’s supreme court last month. Amnesty said the pair “are at imminent risk of execution”.
The sentences were handed down in October 2021 after a “grossly unfair” trial, with accusations including “smuggling explosive materials into Saudi Arabia and participating in anti-government protests in Bahrain”, the London-based rights group said.
Saudi authorities detained the men in October 2015, and the men have testified “that they were tortured and that their so-called confessions were extracted under duress”, Amnesty said.
Rights groups say the two Bahraini Shia men were sentenced to death on trumped-up terrorism and protest-related charges.
They stressed that Saudi Arabia’s judicial system has yet again displayed a chilling disregard for human rights by upholding death sentences against the two men, and their execution will constitute an arbitrary deprivation of the right to life.
Bahrain’s February 14 Revolution Youth Coalition held the Saudi regime fully responsible for the youths’ safety, calling on the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to take on his duties and intervene urgently to stop the crime.
The Bahraini opposition protest movement also called on the international community to stand up against Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and prevent the death sentences from being carried out.
The February 14 Revolution Youth Coalition demanded swift action to save the lives of the two young Bahraini nationals before it is too late, considering Bahrain’s ruling Al Khalifah regime as a partner in any criminal action against the Arab nation.
Ever since bin Salman became Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader in 2017, the kingdom has arrested dozens of activists, bloggers, intellectuals and others perceived as political opponents, showing almost zero tolerance for dissent even in the face of international condemnations of the crackdown.