On 12 June 2019, French Senator Pierre Laurent has sent two letters to highlight the risk of executions of Ali AlArab and Ahmed AlMalali, and the general human rights situation in Bahrain.
The first letter was sent to the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian, to remind that within the framework of the Bassiouni Commission, Bahrain has pledged to respect human rights. However, the torture, incarceration and death sentences of political opponents have increased steadily in recent years. In this context, the death sentences of Ali AlArab and Ahmed AlMalali embody a blatant example of unlawful detention and treatment.
In his letter, Senator Pierre Laurent has asked Minister Le Drian what France intends to do to “renew with the Bahraini authorities its concerns about the deteriorating human rights situation and, more immediately, to intervene with King Hamed Ben Issa Al Khalifa on behalf of Mr. Ahmed Al-Malali and Mr. Ali Al-Arab.”
The Senator Pierre Laurent has also sent a letter to Bahrain’s ambassador to France, Muhammad Abdul Ghaffar Abdulla, drawing his attention to the threats of execution against Mr. Ahmed Al- Malali and Mr. Ali Al-Arab, and urging the Bahraini authorities not to execute Al-Arab and Al- Malali.
The European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR) welcomes the letters sent by the French Senator Pierre Laurent. We welcome the urgency to the commutation of AlMalali and AlArab’s sentence and the placement of a moratorium.
Click here for a link to the letter in English.
Click here for a link to the letter in French.