Bahrain: The General Prosecution gives OK for killing citizens amidst absence of accountability

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) -  Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society stresses that authorities are continuing the practice of granting security forces impunity for consequences of actions.This policy is strengthened through acquitting killers of murder charges on the one hand and that of General Prosecution dropping charges against murders on the other. Certainly, this translates into providing security forces the green light to perpetuate further assaults on the people.Al-Wefaq argues that the regime is technically legalizing occurrence of serious violations against citizens. Undoubtedly, the international community, the United Nations and all concerned organizations must shoulder their responsibility of stopping the mushrooming of recklessness of lives of citizens and intolerance and excessive use of force against peaceful protestors demanding democracy.In a statement, Al-Wefaq expressed its dismay of a statement issued by the General Prosecution for declaring innocence of the killer of 16-year old martyr Hussam Al-Haddad. The teenager was killed by birdshots, a weapon used by security forces to attack peaceful protests. Painfully, this lethal weapon has caused several deaths amongst pro-democracy protesters ever since start of the revolution on 14th February 2011.In the statement, Al-Wefaq appealed to the international community to look into methods of impunity granted to human rights violators in Bahrain. Sadly, the General Prosecution plays a leading role in providing impunity and legalizing killing of citizens. Thus, human rights can only be sustained in Bahrain through an independent judiciary acceptable to all parties, committed to Istanbul Principles and courageous enough to ensuring justice for all citizens; in turn, the judicial system should not serve as refuge for the brutality of security forces and one not dominated by the executive branch.The statement went on by suggesting that Bahrainis are encountering pseudo-justice besides various patterns of political persecution practiced by the judiciary along with military and civil state institutions. These entities allege that aiming at a citizen at the back from close range is considered self-defense.In this respect, martyr Al-Hadded was murdered, maltreated and prevented from having access to urgent medical aid. Wrongly, the judicial system has accepted the narratives and testimonies put forward by MOI. To the contrary, videos published by the MOI as evidence for the circumstances of the incident do not meet claims made by the ministry.Al-Wefaq contended that family of the deceased and a number of local organizations had entered testimonies contradicting those presented by MOI. In reality, the initial statement of the General Prosecution on the incident carried the same conclusion, in effect meaning it had not intended to carry out serious investigations from the very start. Thereby the statement issued by the General Prosecution on 8th October 2012 claimed innocence for the killer of Hussam, without providing room for further investigations into a crime that shocked the country on the eve of Eid feast in August.The statement of Al-Wefaq argued that whilst the General Prosecution completed the procedures and investigation of murdering of Hussam within 40 days on the basis of self-defense, the same body had not revealed results of investigations concerning Abbas al-Shakhoury, in turn killed in 2007. Also, the entity has also not taken any serious measures regarding lawsuits presented more than five months ago against ministers and high officials based on the BICI report including demolishing of places of worship and incitement of hate propaganda. Sadly, the General Prosecution has neither presented itself independent of the government, nor as a human rights defender against the arbitrary of the security forces.These adverse developments had come amidst reports of a governmental decision for allotting of houses together with a 50% salary raise to judiciary officials. Some see the recent stances of the judges as being consistent with the intended incentives for more impunity for violators, in effect turning Bahrain into a cemetery rather than an oasis of human rights.The statement asked that recommendations of the BICI (announced in November 2011) and UPR (adopted in September 2012) are giving way for scandalous judicial practices in Bahrain. In particular, the recommendations issued critique of the prevalence of culture of impunity and protection of human rights violators. Undoubtedly, the human rights violations comprise of high-ranked officials, in turn occupying top decision-making positions of security and political dimensions.Al-Wefaq affirmed that the international community is looked upon to assume actions dealing with international human rights law so as the UN and its agencies bear witness to unfolding events in Bahrain. The authorities in Bahrain had refused some UPR recommendations by claiming their contractions with Islamic law, whilst on the other hand engaging in demolishing of mosques and extending protection to human rights violators./129