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A6 WORLD NEWS
Friday 4 November 2022
Pope urges end to death penalty as he arrives in Bahrain

By NICOLE WINFIELD Asso- Doing so, he said, would
ciated Press guarantee "that equal
AWALI, Bahrain (AP) — dignity and equal oppor-
Pope Francis urged Bahrain tunities will be concretely
authorities on Thursday to recognized for each group
renounce the death pen- and for every individual;
alty and ensure basic hu- that no forms of discrimina-
man rights are guaranteed tion exist and that funda-
for all citizens as he arrived mental human rights are
in the Sunni-led kingdom not violated but promot-
that has been accused by ed." Referring to the death
rights groups of systematic penalty, Francis said the
discrimination against its government must guaran-
Shiite majority. tee first and foremost the
With King Hamad bin Isa Al right to life, and "the need
Khalifa by his side, Francis to guarantee that right al-
also urged the Arab Gulf ways, including for those
nation to ensure "safe and being punished, whose
dignified" working condi- lives should not be taken."
tions for its immigrant labor- According to the Bahrain
ers, who have long faced Institute for Rights and De-
abuse and exploitation in mocracy, Bahrain in 2017
the island's construction, oil Pope Francis is greeted by Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa as he arrives at the Sakhir ended a de-facto morato-
extraction and domestic Royal Palace, Bahrain, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Pope Francis is making the November 3-6 visit rium on the death penalty
service industries. to participate in a government-sponsored conference on East-West dialogue and to minister to and has executed six pris-
While diplomatic, Francis Bahrain's tiny Catholic community, part of his effort to pursue dialogue with the Muslim world. oners since.
didn't shy from some of the The group and Human
contentious social issues in greeted journalists travel- the help of neighboring of Awali and met with Al Rights Watch have docu-
Bahrain at the start of his ling with him seated rather Saudi Arabia and United Khalifa at the Sakhir royal mented a "dramatic in-
four-day visit to participate than walking through the Arab Emirates. palace in the first-ever pa- crease" in the number of
in a government-spon- charter plane's aisle. In the years since, Bah- pal visit to Bahrain. Speak- death sentences being
sored interfaith conference Human rights groups and rain has imprisoned Shiite ing to government authori- handed down since 2011,
on East-West dialogue and relatives of Shiite activists activists, deported others, ties and diplomats from the with 26 people currently on
minister to the country's on death row had urged stripped hundreds of their palace's glistening court- death row, half for political
small Catholic community. Francis to use his visit to call citizenship, banned the yard, Francis praised Bah- activities.
The 85-year-old Francis, who for an end to capital pun- largest Shiite opposition rain's tradition of tolerance The groups have said
has been using a wheel- ishment and to advocate group and closed down and cited Bahrain's con- some were convicted af-
chair for several months for political dissidents, hun- its leading independent stitution, which forbids dis- ter "manifestly unfair trials
because of strained knee dreds of whom have been newspaper. crimination on the basis of based solely or primarily on
ligaments, said he was "in a detained since Bahrain Francis referred indirectly religion, as a stated com- confession allegedly co-
lot of pain" as he flew to the violently crushed the 2011 to the sectarian strife as he mitment that needs to be erced through torture and
Gulf and, for the first time, Arab Spring protests with arrived in the desert town put into practice. ill-treatment." q

Colombia's President promises to deepen ties with Venezuela

By MANUEL RUEDA would improve trade and After the meeting in Ven- ela's support in peace talks ezuela's presidency by the
undefined security cooperation, as ezuela's presidential pal- with the National Liberation former National Assembly
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) both countries seek to nor- ace, Colombian President Army, or ELN, a Colombian leader Juan Guaidó.
— The presidents of Co- malize relations following Gustavo Petro said it was rebel group that operates Petro changed course as
lombia and Venezuela met the election of Colombia's "suicidal" for the govern- on both sides of the border. soon as he was sworn into
on Tuesday and said they first leftist leader. ments of Venezuela and Petro's efforts to engage office and re-established
Colombia to have become with Venezuela's socialist diplomatic ties with the
estranged from each other government mark a radi- Maduro government. On
recently, adding that the cal departure from Colom- Tuesday opposition lead-
border between the coun- bia's recent policy: Before ers in Venezuela criticized
tries had been forgotten Petro was elected in June, Petro's meeting with Mad-
and "turned over" to crimi- Colombia backed U.S. ef- uro, with Guaidó tweeting
nal mafias. forts to isolate Maduro's that Petro was helping to
Colombia's president said government, sanction its oil "normalize" the violation of
both countries would now exports and force Maduro human rights in Venezuela
look for ways to share intel- into holding free and fair by "visiting dictator Maduro
ligence on drug trafficking elections. The United States, and calling him a presi-
groups, and added that he Colombia and dozens of dent."
would lobby for Venezu- other countries stopped The International Criminal
ela's re-entry into the Ande- recognizing Maduro as Court is currently investigat-
an Community of Nations, Venezuela's legitimate ing Maduro's government
Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, left center, and Venezuelan a regional trade and invest- leader in 2019, after he won for human rights violations
President Nicolas Maduro, stand side by during a welcoming
ceremony, on the steps of the Miraflores Presidential Palace, in ment group that Venezu- an election that was widely that include the torture and
Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022. ela withdrew from in 2006. seen as undemocratic and arbitrary detention of pro-
Petro has asked for Venezu- backed a claim to Ven- testers in 2017.q