Amnesty calls on Bahrain authorities to commute death sentences News
Amnesty calls on Bahrain authorities to commute death sentences

Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] called on [official press release] Bahraini authorities Wednesday to commute the death sentences of Hussain Ali Moosa and Mohamed Ramadhan. AI warned that the recent protests against the three harsh executions carried out earlier this month risk igniting a human rights crisis. Neither of the men had access to a lawyer during their interrogations and claim they were subject to beatings, electric shocks and other torture in order to force a confession from them. The Bahraini Public Prosecutor dismissed the torture allegations without ordering an investigation and used Hussain Ali Moosa’s confession to convict the two men.

There has been ongoing criticism of Bahrain’s human rights [BBC country profile] since the 2011 uprising in which the Bahraini government called in Saudi armed forces to crush protests by demonstrators demanding a more democratic government. Last month Bahraini authorities charged human rights lawyer Mohamed al-Tajer with insulting government institutions [JURIST report]. In November AI declared [JURIST report] Bahrain’s human rights reforms inadequate. Last July the Bahrain High Civil Court ordered al-Wefaq, the main Shiite opposition group in the country, to be dissolved [JURIST report] because the group allegedly engaged in “terrorism, extremism, and violence.” Last June a UN human rights adviser called on Bahrain to ensure human rights are respected [JURIST report] following protests triggered by the government’s decision to strip a prominent Shia religious leader of his nationality. In September 2015 the UN Human Rights Council released a report [JURIST report] on Bahrain’s human rights record. Similarly, AI released a report [JURIST report] in April 2015 declaring that reforms had failed to end human rights violations.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Congress passed legislation establishing post-WWII national security structure

On July 25, 1947, the National Security Act of 1947 was passed, establishing a linkage between the military and national security, and setting up the National Security Council (NSC), the CIA, the Department of Defense, and several other new agencies, including the National Military Establishment with three separate departments (the Army, the Navy and the new US Air Force), and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Learn more about the National Security Act of 1947.

Brunswick Manifesto proclaimed

On July 25, 1792, the Brunswick Manifesto was proclaimed by Charles William Ferdinand, the Duke of Brunswick during the French Revolutionary Wars. As leader of the forces allied against France, Ferdinand promised retribution against the citizens of Paris if the French Royal Family was harmed. Instead, the Manifesto further inflamed anti-royal sentiment in Paris.