With growing concern and awareness within the international community regarding the human rights violations in Bahrain, specifically framed within the recent upholding of the death sentences of Mohammad Ramadhan and Husain Moosa, many members of Parliament have begun to press their foreign ministers to issue condemnations in order to obtain respect for, and the safeguarding of human rights in Bahrain.
Early this week, Italian members of Parliament Erasmo Palazzoto and Lia Quartapelle Procopio questioned the Italian Foreign Minister on Bahrain, during an official visit from the Bahraini Crown Prince Shaikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa. Both members of Parliament are members of the influential Foreign Affairs Committee in the Italian Parliament.
Addressing specifically the work of ADHRB, as well as other human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, MP Palazzoto and Procopio questioned about reports stemming from the “serious human rights violations perpetrated by the Al-Khalifa dictatorship in Bahrain”. Further; the members discussed the reported use of “torture, arbitrary detentions, harassments, rapes, extrajudicial executions of peaceful opponents, human rights violations, in particular towards women and political prisoners happen on a daily basis”.
Both Erasmo Palazzoto and Lia Quartapelle Procopio stated on Bahrain’s deteriorating civilian freedoms, stating that “freedom of speech and freedom of religion are oppressed by the Bahraini government” and expressed concerns on Bahrain’s participation in the Saudi Arabia’s intervention in Yemen, stating that the governments of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia continue to “kill individuals in Yemen”. MPs Erasmo Palazzoto and Lia Quartapelle Procopio condemned the actions of the Government of Bahrain,by stating that the “regime continues…inhuman and barbaric activities”.
The Foreign Minister was further questioned regarding Bahrain’s lack of progress with respect to the 14 June 2018 European Parliament Resolution which asked, “the government to suspend all the executions, release political activists, and to stop the use of martial courts to judge civilians.”
The questions addressed the recent sentencing by Bahrain’s High Criminal Court of Appeals has upheld the death sentences of Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa. Both men were convicted in an unfair trial that used evidence obtained through their torture.
The Parliamentary question raised serious concerns about the situation of imprisonment of the leaders of the political opposition in Bahrain Hasan Mushaima and Abdulwahab Husain. For further detail on the Parliamentary question please click the link below.
The transcript can be found here in Italian
