Rights Leader, Activists, face harsh sentences amid legal boycotts, circus atmosphere facilitated by Bahrain Judiciary

Sentencing takes place this Sunday, 29th September with no real prosecution and no defence having taken place. Defendants are accused of “destroying state property.”

6 of 11 defendants in this trial are:

Rihanna al Moussawi, Naji Fateel, Director of the Bahrain Youth Society of Human Rights, Hameed Abbas AlSafi, injured with teargas canister on his arrest, Mohammed Al Singace, tortured with visible wound to head and Essa Alghais, who was so tortured he told his lawyer not to file a complaint. Teacher Mohammed Altai wasn’t even interviewed on this charge initially.

In the trials on 14th September trial, at the first session on 11th July, torture claims not recorded, Naji Fateel shows weals on his back and Rihanna al Mousawi describes her treatment. She was tortured, stripped and forced to stand at an open doorway.

25th July, lawyers couldn’t get access to documents. Sept 5th Session boycotted by defendants and their lawyers, and judge didn’t turn up. Lawyers had made an application under Article 211 of the Criminal Procedure of Bahrain to get Judge Al Khalifa Al Dhahrani dismissed as biased. This application was refused.

Because these are highly politicized cases, harsh Sentences by the Bahrain Government on 29th September.

Lawyers are boycotting both the 14th February Coalition and the El Emam trial as they give a semblance of respectability to this travesty of justice. They can’t see their clients but speak to them on the phone. If they have any questions they must post them at the office and hope to get a response.

A lawyer said today there are so many political trials going on that it is impossible to look after their clients in a climate of fear, where the results are fixed at the beginning.