MANAMA (Dispatches) –
Angry demonstrations erupted in Bahrain condemning the execution by Saudi authorities of two Bahraini youths who were wrongfully found guilty of “joining a terrorist cell.”
On Monday, Riyadh announced the execution of two Bahrainis, charged with “joining a terrorist cell,” aimed at “destabilizing the security” of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, bringing the total number of executions in the kingdom to nine this month, Arabi21 reported.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that Jaafar Muhammad Sultan and Sadiq Majeed Thamer were the names of the two persons who had been executed.
The executions took place on Monday morning in Saudi Arabia’s Shia-majority Eastern region.
Protesters in Bahrain denounced the Saudi and Bahraini governments.
The Shia opposition group Al-Wefaq Society also condemned the execution of the two Bahraini men, who had been arrested in Saudi Arabia in 2015. On its Facebook page, the society accused the Saudi regime of committing a crime.
Anti-monarchy demonstrations in Bahrain began on February 14, 2011, and have been held on a regular basis ever since the popular uprising started.
Demonstrators demand that the Al Khalifah regime relinquish power, and a democratic, just system representing all Bahrainis be established.
The Manama regime, however, has responded to demands for social equality with an iron fist, clamping down on voices of dissent.
In October 2021, Amnesty International reported discretionary death sentences issued by Saudi authorities against Bahrainis, accusing them of smuggling explosives, receiving military training, and participating in protests in Bahrain. The organization said the confessions were extracted through torture.
UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial or arbitrary executions, Maurice Tidbal-Benz, called on Saudi authorities in June to halt any steps toward executing the two men.