Gulf Daily News – 12 July 2006
By KANWAL TARIQ HAMEED
HUMAN RIGHTS activists yesterday condemned the public “humiliation” of a Filipina housemaid caught in the middle of a case over the severe assault of a Bahraini man near his house in Aker.
The Interior Ministry alleged earlier this week that Abbas Abd’ali, an Interior Ministry employee in his late 20s, was beaten up by enraged villagers, after a night out with a resident’s housemaid according to police.
He had claimed earlier that he was ambushed and beaten up, after being identified as the brother of a political activist, by a group of men who surrounded him in with their cars as he drove home in the early hours of July 7.
Gulf Daily News – 12 July 2006
By KANWAL TARIQ HAMEEDHUMAN RIGHTS activists yesterday condemned the public “humiliation” of a Filipina housemaid caught in the middle of a case over the severe assault of a Bahraini man near his house in Aker.
The Interior Ministry alleged earlier this week that Abbas Abd’ali, an Interior Ministry employee in his late 20s, was beaten up by enraged villagers, after a night out with a resident’s housemaid according to police.
He had claimed earlier that he was ambushed and beaten up, after being identified as the brother of a political activist, by a group of men who surrounded him in with their cars as he drove home in the early hours of July 7.
A Filipina woman purported to be the housemaid in question was brought before an Interior Ministry Press conference held at the CID headquarters in Adliya.
The woman, who was not named, is currently being held in police custody.
Mr Abda’ali was detained by Public Prosecution on Monday, reportedly for allegedly fabricating claims about his assault.
“Even if the allegations are true, it is not a crime,” now-dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) vice president Nabeel Rajab said.
“Her picture was in all the papers for nothing – the maximum allegation against her was that she went out with a guy – where is the crime?
“Why did she have to be brought to a Press conference and appear in every Arabic and English newspaper?
“It’s a kind of humiliation for this poor woman, and it is a violation of her rights. This kind of treatment of people in the poorest segment of society has to stop.
“Even holding her in detention – what is the detention for? I think she should be released as soon as possible, and compensated for the violations she underwent.
“People have to remember that she is a human being.”
The BCHR lawyer attempted to reach the woman, but Public Prosecution refused to give out any information on her whereabouts, said Mr Rajab.
The matter should be taken up by the Philippines Embassy, he added.
“I think this is the job of the embassy labour attaché, to see that kind of abuse and violation are being committed against their people – and I look forward to seeing the Asian embassies taking care of them.”
A Philippines Embassy spokesman said yesterday that the case was being handled by the Riffa police station and that the embassy would be looking into the matter.