UN human rights experts called [press release] for a retrial on Monday following flawed trial procedure and due process violations in the conviction of four men sentenced to death in the Bahraini High Military Court in December.

The four men, Mohamed AbdulHasan AlMutaghawi, Fadhel Sayed Radhi, Sayed Alawi Husain and Mubarak Adel Mubarak Mahanna, are civilians convicted on charges related to “participating in a terrorist cell and attempting to assassinate Bahrain’s Defence Forces Commander-in-Chief.” All four men were sentenced to death and their citizenship revoked. Before the trial, they were reportedly [ADHRB report] tortured, forcibly disappeared, confined alone and coerced to confess. Further, the men did not have legal representation until late in the trial proceedings and the court ignored their complaints of torture.

Al Khalifa amended the constitution last April giving jurisdiction to the military court over civilians. The human rights experts called on the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Bahraini authorities to retry all four men in accordance with international law and standards. They also urged Al Khalifa to rescind the amendment and “pardon all other death sentences and ensure that all these and other pending capital punishment cases are retried in full respect of fair trial and due process guarantees in compliance with the treaty obligations the country has undertaken under the ICCPR and CAT.”