Meeting The King Of Bahrain This Week, Pope Francis Is Expected To Disrupt The Elimination Of The Death Penalty And The Release Of Political Prisoners

Pope Francis. (Wikimedia Commons/Korea Net/Korean Culture and Information Service/Park Jun-soo)

JAKARTA - Pope Francis is expected by the families of the death row inmates to speak for the abolition of the death penalty and defend political prisoners, as he paid a visit to Bahrain this week.

The family filed an appeal in an open letter issued by London-based Bahrain Institute of Rights and Democracy (BIRD), asking the Pope to speak about what the group said was a violation of human rights, including imprisonment of pro-democracy activists, during its visit from November 3 to 6.

Bahrain is known to have imprisoned thousands of protesters, journalists and activists, some in mass trials, since the anti-governmental uprising in 2011. Authorities say prosecuting those who commit crimes is in accordance with international law.

"Our family members remain behind bars and face the risk of execution, even though their sentences are clearly unfair. Many of them were targeted for participating in pro-democracy protests during the 'Semi Arab Museum'," the letter said, written by the families of 12 death row inmates.

"During your visit to Bahrain, we hope you can repeat your call to abolish the death penalty and for the punishment of our family members to be relieved," he hoped.

The Pope visited Bahrain for the closing ceremony of "Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence" and to meet with members of the Catholic community.

He will meet King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa and live in the royal complex, because there is no Vatican embassy in Bahrain.

It is known, Bahrain reintroduced the death penalty in 2017 after the moratorium.

In 2018, the Roman Catholic Church officially changed its teachings to declare the death penalty morally unacceptable, with the Pope having made many applications for the sentence to be banned worldwide.

BIRD, a non-profit group, also released an open letter to Pope of Ali Al-Hajee, a prisoner who has almost completed a 10-year sentence, related to participation in pro-democracy demonstrations.

"I invite you, on behalf of humanity, to urge the King of Bahrain to obey peace and release me and all Bahrain political prisoners," read the letter Al-Hajee.

Bahrain rejected criticism from the United Nations and others over the implementation of trials and detention conditions. Authorities say the legal and judicial system continues to be reformed.

A spokesman for the Bahrain government, in response to a Reuters request for comment, said in a statement, "no individual in the Kingdom has been arrested or detained for their belief" and that the constitution protects freedom of expression.

"However, in cases where individuals incite, promote, or glorify violence or hate, there is an obligation to investigate and, if necessary, try the individual," the spokesman said, adding the government "does not tolerate ill treatment in any form.

A spokesman for the Bahrain government said the state protects freedom of religion and worship, and "does not tolerate discrimination, persecution or promotion of divisions based on ethnicity, culture or belief".

At a briefing last week, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni was asked if the pope would speak of human rights while in Bahrain, which opposition and international rights groups criticized for the state's treatment of Shia's majority.

"I will not anticipate anything about what the pope will say in the next few days. The position of the Holy See and the Pope regarding freedom and freedom of religion is clear and known," he explained.