Tánaiste Simon Coveney has called on the Yemeni authorities to release a 52-year-old man sentenced to death for his religious beliefs following an appeal by a number of TDs and the Bahá’í community in Ireland. Mr Coveney, also the Minister for Foreign Affairs, said: “Ireland strongly condemns all forms of persecution on the basis of religion or belief and is unequivocal in its stance on the death penalty.”Hamed Bin Haydara, one of 2,000 members of the Bahá’í community in Yemen, was sentenced to death on January 2nd. The Tánaiste said the State opposes and condemns the use of the death penalty “in all circumstances, and in particular in cases where there are allegations of unfair trials preceding its implementation. Followers believe God is revealed through the ages by prophets including Buddha, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad and that all religions are fundamentally unified in purpose. This group will report back to the human rights council, as an important step towards accountability in Yemen.”

Source: The Irish Times February 11, 2018 21:33 UTC