State Terror in Bahrain and inept Security Forces nab and abuse 11 year old

Will Bahrain Convict an 11-year-old “Protester”?
By Sanjeev Bery – 3 July, 2012 – Amnesty International

This Thursday, an 11-year-old boy will find out if the Government of Bahrain truly considers him a security threat.

Young Ali Hassan was arrested by Bahraini police on May 13th on a street near both his home and the site of a protest. He was detained for 23 days before being allowed to see a lawyer, and he spent nearly a month in jail before being released.

He has been charged with “participating with others in an illegal gathering of more than five people, in order to disturb public security by way of violence.” The Guardian reports that if found guilty, Ali could be sentenced to up to three years in prison (take action here).

The case has drawn international media attention, with articles in CNN, the Associated Press, Time, RealClearPolitics, BBC, AFP, The Independent, The Telegraph, and others. Once again, the Government of Bahrain is in the spotlight for violating human rights.

According to his lawyer, Ali was just playing with two friends when police officers stopped the children and threatened to shoot them if they did not do as they were told. The two other boys managed to escape, but Ali was arrested and accused of intentionally blocking the street. Following his arrest, he was reportedly moved between several police stations for a period of about four hours and interrogated.

Ali later told his lawyer that during the time he was alone, he became hungry and tired and eventually “confessed” to accusations against him. The day after his arrest, he denied all accusations during an appearance before the juvenile prosecution, saying that he only “confessed” because police promised to release him if he did. On July 5th, young Ali and his family will learn the verdict in his case.

Is this any way to treat an 11-year-old boy? Can such a young child truly be guilty of “illegal gathering” and “disturbing security?”

According to Bahrain’s own laws, the answer appears to be no. Article 32 of Bahrain’s Penal Code states: “A person, who is not more than 15 years of age at the time of committing an act constituting a crime, shall not be held liable. In this case he shall be subject to provisions of the Juveniles Law.”
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