Two men sentenced to death in Bahrain, ‘Ali ‘Abdullah Hassan al-Sankis and ‘Abdulaziz ‘Abdulridha Ibrahim Hussain, will now wait over three months before hearing whether they will be subjected to capital punishment.
If their death sentences are upheld and ratified, the two men will be executed.
The death sentences imposed on ‘Ali ‘Abdullah Hassan al-Sankis and ‘Abdulaziz ‘Abdulridha Ibrahim Hussain were upheld by the National Safety Court of Appeal, a military court, on 22 May. The same court commuted the death sentences of Qassim Hassan Matar and Sa’eed ‘Abduljalil Sa’eed to life in prison, and upheld the life imprisonment sentence of the fifth defendant, ‘Issa ‘Abdullah Kadhem ‘Ali. The five men were sentenced on 28 April. They were accused of killing two policemen during anti-government protests in March in Bahrain.
The final decision from Bahrain’s Court of Cassation was scheduled for 13 June, but the Court has announced that that decision will now be made on 26 September 2011. If the sentences are upheld by the Court of Cassation, and then ratified by the King, the two men will be executed.
The two men were originally tried and sentenced by the National Safety Court of First Instance. Like the National Safety Court of Appeal, this is a military court comprising three judges - one military and two civilian. Amnesty International considers military courts inappropriate for trying civilians and that such trials directly infringe international standards of fair trial.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
-- Acknowledging the Bahraini government’s responsibility to protect the public and bring to justice those
responsible for committing crimes, but insisting that this should always be done in accordance with
international law and Bahrain’s international human rights obligations;
-- Urging the King to immediately commute the death sentences imposed on the two men and order their re-trial before ordinary criminal courts.
APPEALS TO:
King
King Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa
Office of His Majesty the King
P.O. Box 555
Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama,
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 973 17664587
Salutation: Your Majesty
Prime Minister
Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa
Office of the Prime Minister
P.O. Box 1000, al-Manama,
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 973 17533033
Salutation: Your Highness
Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs
Shaikh Khaled bin Ali al-Khalifa
Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs
P. O. Box 450, Manama
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 973 17531284
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo
Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain
3502 International Drive. NW
Washington DC 20008
Phone: 202 342 1111
Fax: 1 202 362 2192
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Source: Amnesty International, June 16, 2011
Related articles:
May 22, 2011
Qasim Hassan Mattar Ahmed and Saeed Abdul Jalil Saeed, 2 other men who were among the 4 initially sentenced to death on April 28, had their sentences reduced to life imprisonment, the Bahraini state news agency said. ...
Apr 30, 2011
Thousands of Bahraini Shia Muslims have gathered before a revered cleric to denounce death sentences given to protesters over anti-government rallies crushed last month in the Gulf kingdom. ...
Apr 28, 2011
A Bahraini military court has sentenced four Shia protesters to death and three to life jail terms for the killing of two policemen during demonstrations last month, state media has reported. ...
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