Council of Europe tells Serbia to implement judgement on Bahraini political prisoner

The Council of Europe has urged Serbia to comply with a European Court of Human Rights judgement, which found that Serbia violated the European Convention on Human Rights when it extradited a Bahraini political prisoner. Ahmed Jaafar Mohamed Ali was deported from Serbia to Bahrain in January 2022 and has been held in Jau Prison ever since. Ali claims to have been beaten, denied medical care, and subjected to solitary confinement and insults to his faith during his incarceration.

The European Court of Human Rights ordered Serbia to refrain from extraditing Ali pending further investigation, particularly due to the risk of torture or ill-treatment. However, Ali was still taken to Bahrain on a private plane chartered by United Arab Emirates-based Royal Jet Airlines. Since his arrival in Jau Prison, Ali has reportedly faced severe conditions, including overcrowding, lack of access to basic rights, and abuse by other inmates.

The Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers stated that Serbia has placed funds in a deposit account for Ali's potential release, but acknowledged the difficulties in complying with the conditions for fund release due to Ali's unique situation. The Council of Europe has called on Serbia to cooperate with Ali's representatives and the Secretariat to find solutions for the timely release of funds and to protect the activist from further harm.