On 16 March, ADHRB has delivered an oral intervention at the United Nation Human Rights Council session 49 under item 3, during the General debate. ADHRB raises the case of Bahraini political activist Ahmed Jaffar at the Human Rights Council.
Mr. President,
IDO raises concern over the severe torture Ahmed Jaafar Ali was subjected to after his illegal deportation from Serbia to Bahrain on 24 January 2022, as well as the deterioration of his heath as a result of severe beating. Mr. Ahmed had applied for asylum in Serbia on many occasions since his arrest in November 2021, as he risked being subjected to torture upon return to his home country. He had been tortured prior in 2007 and was sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia in 2013 and 2015.
His deportation violated the order issued by the European Court of Human Rights which called for postponing his deportation till after 25 February and requested more information on his case from the Serbian authorities such as the expected conditions of his detention in Bahrain. The court insisted that failure to meet these procedures would violate Article 3 of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Article 3 of the UN Convention Against Torture, which maintain the principle of non-refoulement.
In light of Mr. Ahmed’s illegal deportation and torture, IDO inquires about the measures the Council will be taking against the Bahraini government as pressure to call for his release.
Thank you.
