Amnesty International calls on the Saudi regime to halt execution of two Bahraini Shias

Amnesty International called on the Saudi authorities not to ratify the death sentence issued against two Bahrainis, Jaafar Mohammad Sultan and Sadeq Majeed Thamer, to quash their conviction and re-try them in line with international fair trial standards.

The organization sent a letter to the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud urging him not to ratify the execution of Jaafar Mohammad Sultan and Sadeq Majeed Thamer, and to quash their conviction and death sentence, given the grave concerns about the fairness of their trial.

Amnesty urged the Saudi King to order a re-trial in line with international fair trial standards, without recourse to the death penalty, and called him to order a prompt, impartial, independent and effective investigation into their claims before the court of torture and ill-treatment.

The organization also demanded Saudi Arabia to immediately establish an official moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia.

The Specialized Criminal Court had sentenced Jaafar Mohammad Sultan and Sadeq Majeed Thamer to death in October 2021 following a grossly unfair trial for terrorism-related charges, which include participating in anti-government protests in Bahrain.

Both men were detained incommunicado and in solitary confinement for three-and-a-half months following their arrest on 8 May 2015. They were only allowed to call their families 115 days later, during which time prison officials did not allow them to discuss their detention or interrogation conditions.