The United Nations has renewed its call on Saudi Arabia to stop the imminent “arbitrary” execution of two Bahraini men accused of trumped-up terrorism-related crimes, and to investigate allegations they were tortured and forced to make confessions.
Faraan: The UN special rapporteur on extra-judicial summary or arbitrary executions, Morris Tidball-Binz, in a letter sent to Saudi Arabian authorities, said Riyadh should halt “any possible steps towards the execution” of Jaafar Mohammad Sultan and Sadeq Majeed Thamer.
Instead, Saudi authorities should fully investigate allegations that the men, who are both Shia Muslims, were tortured “to ensure that they are re-tried in conformity with international law and standards,” the letter, which was only made public earlier this week, read. Saudi officials have reportedly responded to the letter but their response has not yet been publicized.
The UN said the Saudi government’s response had not indicated whether an investigation into the allegations of torture had been carried out. “We respectfully remind the government that any allegation of torture must be followed by an impartial and thorough investigation by an independent body,” it pointed out. The world body also called on Saudi Arabia to “consider establishing an official moratorium on all executions as a first step towards fully abolishing the death penalty in the country.”
Back in May, Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court upheld death sentences of Thamer and Sultan to death after finding them guilty of “smuggling explosives” into the kingdom and involvement in terrorist activities. The two Bahraini nationals were arrested in May 2015 along the King Fahd Causeway, which connects Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Sultan and Thamer were subjected to systematic and fatal torture with the aim of extracting false confessions from them.
