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

Council of Europe tells Serbia to implement judgement on Bahraini political prisoner Oscar Rickett on Tue, 09/29/2026 - 07:00 Ahmed Jaafar Mohamed Ali was extradited from Serbia and has been in Bahrain's Jau Prison since 2022 Ahmed Jaafar Mohamed Ali has been held in Jau Prison since he was deported from Serbia in January 2022 (ADHRB) Off The Council of Europe has called on Serbia to implement a European Court of Human Rights judgement, which held that the Balkan country had violated the European Convention on Human Rights when it extradited a Bahraini activist seeking asylum.  Ahmed Jaafar Mohamed Ali travelled to Serbia to seek asylum in November 2021 but was arrested by authorities there based on an Interpol red notice, which Ali’s lawyers say was unlawfully issued.  The European Court of Human Rights issued an interim measure in January 2022 calling on Serbian authorities to refrain from extraditing Ali pending more information and particularly given the risk of torture or ill-treatment if he was returned.  Three days later, campaigners say a private plane, chartered by United Arab Emirates-based Royal Jet Airlines, took Ali to Bahrain. Ever since then the activist, who fled Bahrain in 2011 and then lived in Iran before travelling to Serbia, has been held in Bahrain’s Jau Prison on two life sentences. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Inside the prison, Ali says he has been beaten, denied medical treatment, had his faith insulted and held in solitary confinement.  According to a recent call with fellow activists, a transcript of which was seen by Middle East Eye, Ali is currently being held in the prison’s Building Two, which houses violent offenders and those on serious drug charges. Inside the building, the activist says these prisoners - acting on instruction from prison guards - beat and abuse him, creating a climate of fear that never lifts. European ruling on Serbia  In March 2025, the European C