More than a week has passed since the interruption of contact with prisoners of conscience sentenced to death in the prisons of the ruling Al-Khalifi regime in Bahrain amid human rights concerns over their fate.
The Bahrain Forum for Human Rights stated that eight days have passed since the interruption of communication with political prisoners sentenced to death in Jau Central Prison, noting that the families of those sentenced to death “do not know anything about the fate of their children.”
The human rights forum stressed that “the arbitrary death penalty is not the only means of retaliation against prisoners, in addition to torture and ill-treatment,” adding that “this concealment of their conditions is another means of retaliation and abuse” and that “full freedom is their right.”
In her turn, Zainab Ibrahim, the wife of the detainee sentenced to death, Muhammad Ramadan, once again expressed her concern about the fate of her husband and fellow detainee also sentenced to death, Hussein Marzouk, whose fate is unknown.
Ibrahim said, in a tweet: “We do not know where they were taken, if they were in solitary confinement, and whether they were subjected to ill-treatment or torture.”
She continued, “My daily contacts with the prison brought nothing but false promises and disappointment,” renewing her demand that the regime reveals the fate of her husband.
A few days ago, the families of those sentenced to death in Bahraini prisons for political reasons issued an urgent statement due to the interruption of communication from their children, and this coincided with the availability of information that they had been assaulted.
“We, the families of those sentenced to death in political cases, express our deep concern about the fate of our children and the lack of contact with them since May 15,” said the statement, which Bahraini Leaks received a copy of.
The families’ statement said, “We received calls from prisoners on May 15, who told us that our loved ones were beaten by prison guards, which resulted in injuries and burns to some prisoners in the building. We don’t know how severe the injuries are.”
He added, “We have heard that Muhammad Ramadan and Hussein Marzouk were taken to an unknown destination outside the building. We are very concerned that prisoners continue to be ill-treated and tortured while they are cut off from the outside world.”
The parents’ statement commented on what was reported by the Bahraini Ministry of Interior regarding the incident that “the situation has been controlled and the order has been restored,” without explaining what happened, by saying: “This statement increased our fear for the fate of our children.
The statement called on the government, the Ministry of Interior and human rights institutions in Bahrain, led by the Ombudsman, the Special Investigations Unit, the National Institution for Human Rights and the Public Prosecution, to immediately investigate the incident.
They also demanded to ensure the safety of the prisoners, to provide them with immediate treatment in the event of their injuries, to disclose the footage of surveillance cameras in the building, and enable them to communicate directly, as well as hold those involved in the assault accountable if they are found guilty.
The statement was issued by the families of those sentenced to death: the Hussein Marzouk family, the Muhammad Ramadan family, the Hussein Musa family, the Maher al-Khabbaz family, the Zuhair Ibrahim family, the Hussein Ali Mahdi family, the Sayed Ahmed al-Abbar family, the Salman Issa family, the Muhammad Radhi family, the Hussein Abdullah family, the Hussein Abdullah family Musa Ali Musa, the family of Hussein Al-Rashed.
It is noteworthy that, according to human rights organizations, there are at least 27 people awaiting execution in Bahrain, and almost all of them are at imminent risk of execution, only awaiting the approval of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Human rights groups and bodies assert that unfair trials and trials in which torture and coercion occurred have led to the wrongful imposition of the death penalty in at least eight cases.
While dozens of legal rulings provide for the death penalty in Bahrain, it would now be in Bahrain’s interest to show leadership and vote in favour of the decision.
