Activists Say Bahraini Journalist «Murdered by a Royal»
Local Editor
A female journalist shot dead in Bahrain in front of her young son was allegedly murdered by a member of the Gulf State's royal family, according to activists.
The killing of 28-year-old Eman Salehi, a Shia woman, shocked the island kingdom but new allegations threaten to elevate the case into realm of politics and potentially spark fresh protests against the Al Khalifa monarchy.
The young mother was gunned down in the street on December 23 as her six-year-old son watched through the car window.
Salehi, a popular sports journalist was shot once in the head. The killer immediately turned himself into police in the city of Riffa, which is popular with both military officers and members of the royal family.
The interior ministry would say only that there had been a "murder of a female" but the state run news agency identified the suspect as "a 34-year-old Bahraini man" and said he had been "referred to the relevant judicial party to continue the necessary legal procedures."
It emerged later that the man was being investigated by military authorities, apparently confirming rumors that he was a member of the armed forces.
Since the suspect is believed to be a member of the House of Khalifa, the ruling family of Bahrain, and the Gulf country has a highly restricted environment for press freedom, there isn't much information available about Salehi's murder in local media.
However, Ala'a Shehabi, co-founder of Bahrain Watch - a pro-democracy "research and advocacy organization" that covers issues related to Bahrain - tweeted details about the killing that took place in the city of Riffa.
"The fact that the alleged perpetrator was a military officer and member of the ruling family has set this crime apart from others, testing the country's commitment to justice and accountability," Faten Bushehri, an activist with the group told AP.
Furthermore, the European-Bahraini Organization for Human Rights [EBOHR], a non-governmental independent international organization based in Bern, Switzerland, also confirmed Salehi's shooting death.
In addition, Salehi's case gets even more "complicated," Shehabi added, considering she belongs to the Shia sect.
For nearly six years now, there had been many anti-regime protests calling for political equality for the country's Shia majority and attempts by the authorities to quell those protests. As a result, freedom of speech had also suffered in the country.
The kingdom's security forces, supported by troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, crushed the Arab Spring uprising and tortured and imprisoned hundreds of activists.
Bahrain is ruled by the Al Khalifa family and headed by Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, who had been the emir since 1999.
Like neighboring Saudi Arabia, there are dozens of minor princes in the family who enjoy wealth and privilege but do not have formal roles in the country's government.
Salehi's death will cast a new spotlight on the regime's treatment of Shias and on the country's justice system.
Military tribunals are usually held in secret and so it is unlikely that the public will be able to closely follow developments in the case.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
