HRW says Bahrain should set aside death sentences

HRW says Bahrain should set aside death sentences
02 May 2011, Monday / AP, DUBAI

Bahrain should set aside death sentences that a military court passed on four men over the killing of two policemen during anti-government protests, U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday. HRW also urged the kingdom to set aside the convictions of three men sentenced to life in prison for their alleged involvement in the killings in March. It argued the accused were kept from meeting lawyers and defending themselves.

“By establishing these special courts, the government of Bahrain is making it near impossible for defendants to enjoy the rights to which they are entitled,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at the rights group. The verdicts came amid heightened antagonism between Bahrain’s Shi’ite Muslim majority and its Sunni ruling family after Bahrain crushed anti-government protests in March with military help from fellow Sunni-led Gulf Arab neighbours.

“The role of the military prosecutor, the makeup of the special court, and the meager access to legal representation undermine the most basic due process protections,” Stork said. HRW said the trial and sentencing of the seven defendants, aged 19 to 24, lasted less than two weeks. They were the first civilians convicted in special military courts set up after the declaration of martial law on March 15.

It was only the third time in more than three decades that a death sentence had been issued against citizens of Bahrain, a U.S. ally which hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. …source