Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): As the world moves towards abolishing the death penalty, the Bahraini Parliament has passed new amendments toughening the punishment against those who use Molotov cocktails to the death penalty.

The House of Representatives chaired by Fawzia Zainal approved in its session (April 9, 2019) amendments to punish everyone who distributes or uses Molotov cocktails or detonates an explosive to "a period not exceeding 8 years in prison" or life sentence or temporal prison term not less than 10 years if using the Molotov cocktails caused a permanent impairment and to death penalty or life in prison if it caused the death of a citizen. The amendments were referred to the Shura Council.

Ammar Al-Banai, Mohammad Al-Sisi and Mohammad Isa defended the amendments, while Kulthum Al-Hayiki, Mahmoud Al-Bahraini, Hisham Al-Ashiri and Abdulnabi Salman approved them.

As the Bahraini House of Representatives contributes to further establish the death penalty, the world is mobilizing to abolish this sentence replacing it with imprisonment instead. Most of the world's countries have decided either to completely abolish the death penalty from their penal acts such as European Union states or only halt it waiting for its abolishment like some southern states.

These amendments recently passed by the House of Representatives increase the brutality and revenge practiced by Bahraini authorities against political dissidents. The authorities already prosecute them over cases under terrorist claims and issue harsh verdicts against them, including life sentences or citizenship revocation through the politicized judiciary. These sentences are issued on a daily basis in Bahrain, let alone the number of death penalties that have reached 40 since 2011, 36 of which are based on politically-motivated cases.

Three Bahrainis were the victims of death penalties since 2011 events, while 9 death sentences were commuted to life in prison, in addition to 22 sentences that are considered not final yet with 6 other final verdicts, according to statements by legal advisor Ibrahim Serhan.

The issued death sentences in 2018 amounted to 23 out of 40 since 2011. It is not clear what the House of Representatives seeks through passing such amendments that allow the authorities to issue further death penalties.

Indian human rights defender and former Amnesty International Secretary General, Salil Shetty, says: "The death penalty is a symptom of a culture of violence". It seems that the Bahraini MPs who defended and approved these amendments are also symptoms of the culture of violence established by the authorities and its institutions in this society.

Arabic Version