Unfair Trial of 17 Defendants Amongst them Rights Activists
Bahrain Centre for Human Rights
Ref: 09050611
Unfair Trial of 17 Defendants Amongst them Rights Activists
Bahrain Centre for Human Rights
Ref: 09050611
A heated debate took place today, outside the 4th Criminal Court, after Mr. Abdul-Hadi Al-khawaja, President of the BCHR, and Mr. Nabeel Rajab Vice-President, were escorted outside the courtroom where 17 defendants were standing trial in relations to the “Dana Mall” incident. Mr. Al-khawaja demanded that families be allowed entrance to the trials, as these cases were declared as open and not secret court sessions. In all previous cases relating to the latest unrests in Bahrain, the court had prohibited family members from attending the trial sessions, and ignored protests in regards. The police officers, who outnumber the reporters and family members form a barrier, and only let certain people in during the trial, leaving the family members waiting outside the courtroom. Human Rights monitors were allowed entrance to previous trials, however this time could set precedence for further violations and close courtroom procedures in the future. Of those violations the BCHR focuses on the continuously apparent fact that the Judicial system is constantly found lacking in independence, as well as the questionable and restrictive laws that the defendants are charged and sentenced in accordance to.
Following the debate between Mr. Al-khawaja and the police officers, in which Mr. Al-khawaja rejected the fact that the police were present in exaggerated numbers inside the courtroom and by the entrance, the defendants inside the courtroom refused to stand before the judge without their families presence and the human rights monitors, which resulted in the Judges decision to postpone the first hearing and to permit one representative of each family to attend future court sessions.
The “Dana Mall” incident took place after the riot police forcefully dispersed a peaceful demonstration calling for the release of the “Airport Detainees”. Nineteen individuals were arrested, after receiving a severe beating, according to the detainees and family members. Of those arrested, Mr. Moosa AbdAli, 24 years, Ekr, (BCHR Ref: 04020603), a rights activist who was had been arrested, assaulted and kidnapped by police several times in the past, due to his activities in the Unemployment Committee (BCHR Ref: 11020604), and Mr. Qanee Saleh Abdel-nabi Saleh, 26 years, Sitra, a member of the Committee of Individuals with Genetically Transmitted Blood Diseases. Mr. Saleh has been in and out of the hospital several times since his arrest and suffers from acute Sickle-Cell.
Other detainees brought before the court today are identified as:
- Seyed Mohammed Mustafa, Jidhafs,
- Majeed Ali Al-Tashani, 32 years, Bilad Al-Qadeem,
- Salman Najji Salman, Al Hamala
- Hussain Mohammed Ahmed, 23 years, Al-Hamala
- Ahmed Abdulla Ahmed, 28 years, Hamad Town
- Hussain Ali Hassan, 26 years, Al-Nuwaidrat
- Mohammed Jassim Khalifa, 16 years, Sanabis
- Ahmed Jaffar Al-Metghawi, Diraz
- Jaffar Nuuh Smakhar, 22 years, Al-Malchya
- Hassan Abdulla Al-Afoo, 19 years, Nuaeem
- Hassan Ali Hamada, Nuaeem
- Faisal Abdulla Hassan Mohammed, 20 years, Nuwaidrat
- Hilal Ali Muahmmed , Alganabya
- Saqeq Hussain Jaffar, 19 years, Manama
- Ahmed Jaffar Al-Qassab, 17 years, Nuaeem