AhlulBayt News Agency

source : manoramaonline
Tuesday

30 October 2012

8:04:00 AM
360801

Bahrain prosecutor appeals against acquittals of police officials

Bahrain's prosecutor today appealed against the acquittals of a policewoman accused of torturing a journalist and two policemen tried for murdering demonstrators in last year's anti-regime protests.

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Bahrain's prosecutor today appealed against the acquittals of a policewoman accused of torturing a journalist and two policemen tried for murdering demonstrators in last year's anti-regime protests.

"The prosecutor general has decided to file an appeal (after) a thorough review of the reasons" that led to the acquittals and after studying the evidences against the accused in both the cases, a statement issued by the prosecutor general Abderrahman al-Sayyed said.

On October 22, a Bahraini court had acquitted a policewoman who was charged with torturing female journalist Naziha Saeed, who is Manama's correspondent for France 24 and Radio Monte Carlo Doualiya, during last year's crackdown on anti-regime protests in the Gulf kingdom.

The court concluded that the testimony of the victim was "contradictory" and "does not conform to the pathologist's report." The officer was prosecuted for hitting the journalist on May 22, 2011, after she was summoned by the police for questioning about her links with Al-Manar television of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah.

In another case on September 27 the court acquitted two police officers accused of killing two Shiite protesters, Ali al-Moumin and Issa Abdel Hasan, during the crackdown on protests in 2011.

The court justified their acquittals on the basis of lack of evidence.

Bahraini protesters have been holding the demonstrations since February 2011 and they hold King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa responsible for the death of demonstrators during the uprising.

The Bahraini government promptly launched a brutal crackdown on the peaceful protests and called in Saudi-led Arab forces from neighboring Persian Gulf states to help crack down on the demonstrations. More than 90 people have been killed in the peaceful protests.

The protesters say they will continue holding street demonstrations until their demand for the establishment of a democratically elected government is met.

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