European Parliament adopts resolution, urges Bahrain to release all political prisoners

The European Parliament (EP) has adopted a resolution urging Bahrain to release all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally, including prominent human rights defender and dissident Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who is already serving a life sentence in the Persian Gulf island.

The resolution was passed on Thursday by 316 votes in favor, six against and 38 abstentions.

MEPs strongly condemned the continued use of torture and mistreatment in Bahrain and called on Bahrain to restore citizenship to the almost 300 individuals — notably human rights advocates — who have been stripped of it and end the ongoing practice.

They noted that the moratorium on capital punishment, which had been in place until 2017, should never have been lifted.

Bahrain has executed six people since then, in what the United Nations has referred to as extrajudicial killings, and 26 more are currently on death row in the country.

Last month, a series of fresh charges were leveled against Khawaja, who has been imprisoned for 12 years and subjected to torture and medical neglect during his detention, which has left him with chronic pain. 

Rights groups believe the charges are an attempt to intimidate Khawaja and other prisoners who speak up from jail.

Among the new charges brought against him was insulting Israel after he spoke against Bahrain’s normalization of diplomatic relations with the occupying regime.

Earlier this month, a Bahraini opposition protest movement censured fresh charges against Khawaja over his protests from prison, demanding his immediate and unconditional release.

MG