Bahrain torture in the EU spotlight

The case of a man sentenced to death after allegedly confessing under torture to a murder has been condemned by the European parliament.

Mohammed Ramadan, a 32-year-old airport guard, was given the death penalty for his alleged involvement in an attack which killed a member of the Bahraini security forces in February 2014.

He confessed to the crime, but later withdrew his statement claiming he had been forced to admit to a role under severe duress.

Bahraini human rights groups have rallied behind Ramadan, stating he had been "peacefully participating in protests calling for democratic reforms".

"In imposing capital punishment, the court relied on his forced confession as the main evidence in his trial, thereby failing to meet international standards of due process," read a joint statement from activist groups.

"Mohamed Ramadan has exhausted all legal avenues of appeal, and he stands at risk of imminent execution."

The EU called upon the Bahraini ruler to pardon Ramadan and requested "a prompt and impartial investigation into all allegations of torture, to prosecute suspected perpetrators of torture and to dismiss all convictions made on the basis of confessions obtained under conditions of torture".

The case had been in the spotlight in August 2014 when five UN human rights experts questioned the authorities' handling and fairness of the trial.

Scottish MEP Alyn Smith, who co-authored the EU resolution, said it was "a strong message to our friends in Bahrain that we are confident Bahrain can move in the right direction.

"Today, the parliament firmly condemned the continuing use of torture by the security forces against prisoners and the use of Bahrain's anti-terrorism laws to punish citizens for their political beliefs."

This latest condemnation comes as Manama rejected a Bahrain-focused Human Rights Watch report, which officials describe as "inaccurate" and filled with "fundamental errors".

Advocate-General Abdulrahman al-Sayed maintained that the Public Prosecution had a "strong track record of openness to dialogue and cooperation to improve the protection of human rights within the Kingdom" and that it "will continue to engage and work constructively with its international partners to further strengthen its reform efforts".