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Police murder trial to resume
Published: 12th January 2008
EIGHTEEN lawyers have agreed to appear in court today to defend 19 men accused of murdering a Pakistani policeman.
They previously boycotted the high-profile trial, but will appear today despite several of their demands being turned down.
The defendants refused to be represented by other attorneys during a High Criminal Court hearing on December 1 when all of their lawyers failed to show up.
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Police murder trial to resume
Published: 12th January 2008
EIGHTEEN lawyers have agreed to appear in court today to defend 19 men accused of murdering a Pakistani policeman.
They previously boycotted the high-profile trial, but will appear today despite several of their demands being turned down.
The defendants refused to be represented by other attorneys during a High Criminal Court hearing on December 1 when all of their lawyers failed to show up.
The defence boycotted the session in protest after their request to transfer their clients to a different detention facility was ignored.
They were also unhappy that other demands – including the submission of medical reports, the death certificate of the policeman, the exhumation of his body, the re-examination of the jeep in which he was on patrol and the submission of coloured pictures and videos from the day he was allegedly attacked – were also not granted.
“We didn’t withdraw from the entire case, but refused to attend the last hearing in protest because our requests have still not been met and our clients’ situation is getting worse by the day,” said attorney Mohammed Al Tajer yesterday..
“The court had issued an order for the men to be transferred to a new detention centre in October, but they still were not transferred when we boycotted the session in December. They have still not been transferred to this day.”
Policeman Majid Asghar Ali Kareem Baksh, 24, from Pakistan, died when his patrol car was ambushed by a mob hurling Molotov cocktails in the village of Karzakan in April last year.
Two police officers with Mr Baksh during the attack escaped unharmed.
The Bahraini suspects are standing trial for murder and attempted murder of policemen.
The case resumes today at the High Criminal Court.
However, the lawyers were absent when four key witnesses testified at the last hearing, including the two policemen who were with Mr Baksh when their Land Rover was attacked with Molotov cocktails.
When the defendants were asked if they wanted new lawyers, they refused, saying they wanted their original legal team to defend them.
It is understood that their families, in a letter submitted to the court, objected to new lawyers being appointed to represent the defendants.
“The families have sent letters to the court and to the defence team and they clearly stated that they did not want any other lawyers,” said Mr Al Tajer.
“The letters were submitted after the court ordered new lawyers to be appointed to the defendants during the previous hearing, .”
Several articles under the Criminal Trial Procedure laws, among others, state that a court can appoint a lawyer for defendants who are incapable of hiring an attorney, said Mr Al Tajer.
“However, the court is not allowed to appoint lawyers to those who refuse to have representation or those with existing attorneys,” he said.
“Judges earlier passed an order to appoint several other lawyers to represent our clients, who we fully respect,” he added.
“But since the families and the men have clearly stated that they only want us to represent them, then how can anyone deny them that.”
noor@gdn.com.bh
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