Bahrain
Foreign Nationals and the Death Penalty
Death Penalty Overview
There has been a marked escalation in the
use of the death penalty in Bahrain in recent
years. After Bahrain lifted a seven-year
moratorium on the death penalty in 2017,
execution rates have increased by 20% and
death sentences have risen by an alarming
600%.
Despite international pressure and
opposition from the United Nations, the
death penalty remains an integral part of
Bahrain's penal system. Bahrain has a dual
legal system, with both civil and Shari’a
courts. The death penalty can be imposed for
a range of offences, including treason,
terrorism and drug traf cking. The death
penalty can also be imposed for sexual
assault of a minor, arson of public or
government buildings and espionage.
Of particular concern is the increasing use of
the death penalty in cases allegedly related
to terrorism, which often appear to target
critics of the Bahraini government. The illde ned offence of 'terrorism' has raised
concerns as it allows the Bahraini
government to misuse the legal system to
criminalise acts of opposition, freedom of
expression and assembly.
A joint report by Human Rights Watch (HRW)
and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and
Democracy (BIRD) (2022) makes serious
allegations about the judicial process,
suggesting that many of these sentences are
based on 'manifestly unfair trials' and
primarily or solely on confessions that were
believed to be extracted through torture and
ill-treatment.
In a signi cant departure from previous
practice, Bahrain introduced the death
penalty for drug offences for the rst time in
2018. According to a report by Reprieve and
BIRD, 12% (3 out of 26) of those on death row
in Bahrain in 2021 were sentenced to death
for drug offences. Although no executions
have yet been carried out for drug offences,
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Death Sentences, Reprieve (2021)