Bahrain Crackdown: Rights Groups Say Military Judiciary Permits Execution in 33 Cases

Local Editor

Bahraini human rights organizations issued a joint statement saying that the latest constitutional amendment concerning the military judiciary's authorities, which the King ratified, shall lead to the failure of the military institution. The statement noted that the judiciary would issue vast arbitrary verdicts against prisoners of conscience.

"The Bahraini judiciary has become a puppet in the hands of political decisions, and harnessing the military judiciary to avenge the opponents," the statement said, further demanding the judiciary mandate to be withdrawn from the king's jurisdictions.

The organizations added that the "military judiciary law does not decide, nor does it impose on the Public prosecution to interrogate the defendant in the presence of a lawyer." The statement also clarified that the military judiciary law stipulates that a lawyer from the military judiciary is assigned for defendants of criminal offenses only, and only in exceptional situations, civil lawyers are allowed to be assigned.

Moreover, the rights organizations indicated that the military judiciary permits the issuance of death verdicts in 33 cases of criminal offenses, whether deliberate or non-deliberate. It also said that the military courts are subject to orders of the Bahrain Defense Forces' Major General.

The statement, written jointly by each of Bahrain Forum for Human Rights, Salam Organization for Democracy and Human Rights and the Gulf Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, stated that "there is not article in the military judiciary law that stipulates the duration of the preventive detention, which opens the door to staging an open-ended detention term."

In addition, the statement noted how the law does not include any executive list to organize the family visits to prisoners and detainees, or other services like education, healthcare, and rehabilitation.

The organizations further concluded in their statement that the gravity of this constitutional amendment is that there is no statute of limitations in the military judiciary and all crimes, regardless of the degree of felony, crime or violation.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team