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"Reprieve" Condemns Death Sentences of Three Bahrainis "Tortured into Making False Confessions"

2017-01-10 - 8:39 p

Bahrain Mirror: British "Reprieve" denounced on its website the three death sentences against three Bahraini men Abbas al-Samea, Sami Mushaima, and Ali al-Singace.

"All three were tortured into signing false ‘confessions' that were used against them in court", the UK-based organization said. 

On this level, Maya Foa, a director of Reprieve said, "It is extremely alarming that Bahrain, a close ally of Britain, is gearing up to execute three people, all of whom were convicted on the basis of false ‘confessions' extracted through torture. Abbas al-Samea, Sami Mushaima, and Ali al-Singace will be the first people to be executed in Bahrain in six years. All three were charged with political offences and tortured into signing ‘confessions' that were used against them in court - despite one of them being illiterate and not able to read the document."

"On her recent visit to Bahrain, Theresa May said that the UK ‘does not uphold our values and human rights by turning our back on this issue' yet apparently declined to raise the cases of these prisoners facing imminent execution. The UK must do more to ensure its close allies do not render them complicit in the gravest abuses," she went on to say.

Human rights organization Reprieve wrote to Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May asking her to raise the issue of police torture and the death penalty ahead of her meeting in Bahrain last month.

Millions of pounds in UK government aid have been spent on training Bahrain's police, prison guards and torture watchdog in recent years.

Arabic Version

 


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