By NOOR TOORANI , Posted on » Tuesday, July 06, 2010
SEVEN Bahrainis were yesterday jailed for life amid chaotic scenes for killing a Pakistani, who died following a Molotov cocktail attack on his car.
They were convicted by the High Criminal Court of attacking Shaikh Mohammed Riaz in March last year and will each serve 25 years.
Some of the defendants reacted violently to the verdict, while their relatives clashed with police inside the court, which had been kept under lockdown ahead of the hearing.
By NOOR TOORANI , Posted on » Tuesday, July 06, 2010
SEVEN Bahrainis were yesterday jailed for life amid chaotic scenes for killing a Pakistani, who died following a Molotov cocktail attack on his car.
They were convicted by the High Criminal Court of attacking Shaikh Mohammed Riaz in March last year and will each serve 25 years.
Some of the defendants reacted violently to the verdict, while their relatives clashed with police inside the court, which had been kept under lockdown ahead of the hearing.
The verdict also sparked clashes between riot police and dozens of protesters who had gathered outside the Justice and Islamic Affairs Ministry, Manama.
The suspects, aged 17 to 25, were originally charged with premeditated murder, rioting, arson and making and possessing Molotov cocktails, but were jailed under terrorism laws because their actions were intended to provoke terror.
They included Kumail Al Manami, brothers Mohammed and Jassim Isa, Hussain Sarhan, Isa Ali, Sadiq Marhoon and Ahmed Saeed.
Two other Bahrainis were acquitted of the charges due to lack of evidence along with a 10th man, who had been on the run during the year-long trial.
Prosecutors successfully argued the 58-year-old victim died from injuries he sustained when his pick-up was ambushed in a Molotov cocktail attack in Ma’ameer.
He died at the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) on March 31, three weeks after the attack.
Judges said they reached the verdict after being convinced by the evidence produced by prosecutors.
They also said that the officers, who were on the scene at the time of the attack, saw the defendants participating in the riot.
Judges ruled out claims that the defendants had been coerced into confessing to the crime.
“All of them confessed and the allegations of torture are baseless, with no solid evidence that the men were physically abused, especially since the public prosecution allowed a medical committee to examine them the following night of their arrest,” read the 50-page judgement.
Judges backed their decision with medical reports, stating some of the injuries the defendants suffered were self-inflicted while others, who had slash marks on their body, had skin conditions.
“One defendant whose toe nails were allegedly plucked out was not a victim of torture, but had caused the injury himself by rubbing against a hard and solid surface,” said the judgement.
Explaining the length of the sentences, defence lawyer Mohammed Al Tajer said his clients were prosecuted under the law protecting the community against terrorist acts.
“As the charges included terrorism, this made the men eligible to be prosecuted under the terrorism law, which doubled their sentences,” he said.
“They should have only been prosecuted under the Penal Code, which would have given them a maximum of seven to 10 years.
“Prosecuting such crimes under the terrorism law is a dangerous thing because it could give the defendants double the time they should actually get.”
He pledged to appeal at Bahrain’s Supreme Criminal Appeals Court, saying the fight for justice was not finished.
The nine-man defence team met last night to discuss appeal procedures and study the reasoning behind the verdict.
“We will appeal against the verdict because this is unacceptable,” said Mr Al Tajer.
“This case had solid evidence that the defendants were coerced into confessing. We submitted pictures, witnesses’ accounts, medical reports, so what more do they want?
“Despite all that, the court convicted them to life in prison.”
Mr Al Tajer alleged his clients knew they were going to be jailed before the verdict.
“They had been informed by prison guards that they would be transferred to Jaw prison at the end of the hearing and that everything had been sorted out for their transferral,” he claimed.
Defence lawyers earlier argued that Mr Riaz died as a result of medical incompetence, not because of the injuries he suffered during the attack.
A doctor who treated him has told the court he had been 99 per cent confident that Mr Riaz would survive, but he died after developing sudden complications.
Attack
Prosecutors had earlier demanded the death sentence for the suspects.
Sixteen witnesses took the stand, claiming the men all had solid alibis for the time of the attack.
Meanwhile, police presence was stepped up around Bahrain as groups of demonstrators took to the streets of villages to protest against the sentencing.
Civil Defence forces were present at Sanabis, Jidhafs, Budaiya and Ma’ameer areas from early afternoon, as angry demonstrators began burning tyres and building materials on busy roads.
More than 100 people gathered outside a mosque in Bilad Al Qadeem after last night’s evening prayers for what started out as a peaceful march.
Some 12 armoured vehicles moved in on the group towards the end of the protest as demonstrators clashed with police.
Clashes, most of which consisted of stone-throwing and burning tyres, also took place in Karzakan and Ma’ameer.