A/HRC/31/57/Add.1 adequate and effective safeguards in place, the use of prolonged (in excess of 15 days under conditions of total isolation) or indefinite solitary confinement may never constitute a legitimate instrument of the State, as it may cause severe mental and physical pain or suffering, a point which has been reiterated in paragraph 28 of the General Assembly resolution 68/156. Prolonged or indefinite solitary confinement runs afoul of the absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. 55. In the absence of information to the contrary, the Rapporteur concludes that there is substance in the allegations presented in the initial communication, available via the link above, and thus that the Government of Bahrain, by seeking to execute the death penalty on Mr. Mohammed Ramadan and Mr. Husain Ali Moosa following trials that did not meet international standards of fair trial and due process, and by subjecting Mr. Mohammed Ramadan to prolonged solitary confinement, has violated their right to be free from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. 56. The Special Rapporteur calls upon the State to reconsider whether the use of the death penalty per se respects the inherent dignity of the human person, causes severe mental and physical pain or suffering and constitutes a violation of the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; (para. 79 A/67/279). He reminds the government of Bahrain of the absolute and non-derogable prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment as codified in articles 2 and 16 of the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT).With regard to sentences imposing the death penalty, the report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (A/67/279) calls upon retentionist States to rigorously observe the restrictions and conditions imposed by articles 1 and 16 of the CAT. (d) JAL 25/11/2015 Case No. BHR 8/2015 State Reply: None to date Allegations concerning detention conditions in Jaw Prison in Bahrain, among them inadequate or no access to medical care, as well as torture and ill-treatment suffered during and following the crackdown of a prison protest, and the absence of any investigation into these allegations. 57. The Special Rapporteur regrets that the Government of Bahrain has not replied to the present communication, thereby failing to cooperate with the mandate issued by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 25/13. In particular this third communication related to the Jaw prison expressed grave concerns regarding the detention conditions in that facility. Earlier government replies did not sufficiently address the concerns, legal obligations, and questions raised in the initial communications. 58. Regarding the use of solitary confinement, in the Rapporteur’s interim report to the General Assembly of 5 August 2011 (A/66/268), the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment defined solitary confinement, in accordance with the Istanbul Statement on the Use and Effects of Solitary Confinement, as the physical and social isolation of individuals who are confined in their cells for 22 to 24 hours a day. He observed that while solitary confinement for short periods of time may be justified under certain circumstances, with adequate and effective safeguards in place, the use of prolonged (in excess of 15 days under conditions of total isolation) or indefinite solitary confinement may never constitute a legitimate instrument of the State, as it may cause severe mental and physical pain or suffering, a point which has been reiterated in paragraph 28 of the General Assembly resolution 68/156. Prolonged or indefinite solitary 15