Bahrain must not try activists in military court
\nAmnesty – 22 August 2011<\/p>\n
The Bahraini authorities\u2019 decision to try two prominent women activists in a military court is a backward step and raises concerns that they will not receive a fair trial, Amnesty International said today.<\/p>\n
Roula al-Saffar, head of the Bahrain Nursing Society, and Jalila al-Salman, vice-president of the Bahrain Teachers’ Association (BTA), have been released on bail after being detained for several months for their involvement in pro-reform protests.<\/p>\n
Roula al-Saffar will be tried next Sunday together with 13 other medical workers before the National Safety Court, a military court, although she and Jalila al-Salman, who will be tried by the same court the following day, are both civilians.<\/p>\n
“While we welcome the belated release of Jalila al-Salman and Roula al-Saffar, it is deeply disturbing that they are to stand trial before a military court and so are at risk of being imprisoned again next week,\u201d said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International\u2019s Director for the Middle East and North Africa.<\/p>\n
“Civilians should never be tried before military courts. The National Safety Court has been a parody of justice and a stain on the Bahraini authorities’ claim to uphold the rule of law,” he said.<\/p>\n
The two activists were released on bail on Sunday after the Chairman of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), Professor Cherif Bassiouni, visited them in prison on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Roula al-Saffar was among a group of health professionals accused of committing felonies, including theft of medicines, during the protests that began in February. They strongly deny the allegations.<\/p>\n
Jalila al-Salman faces trial on charges that include “inciting hatred against the regime” and calling to overthrow and change the regime by force”.<\/p>\n
She appeared before the National Safety Court several times in June before her case was transferred to a civilian court and postponed until further notice.<\/p>\n
Later the same month, the King of Bahrain announced that all military court trials connected with the February-March protests would be moved to civilian courts.<\/p>\n
He then backtracked on 18 August, issuing a decree which makes it clear that the new measures do not apply to all arrested protesters.<\/p>\n
The decree requires that those charged with a felony are to be tried by the National Safety Court if their cases had already been referred to that court, which was set up when the King declared a state of emergency at the height of the protests in March.<\/p>\n
The new law means that scores of people detained during the protests are now liable to be tried in the military court.<\/p>\n
“This is a complete U-turn by the Bahraini authorities. After they indicated that military courts were a thing of the past, it now seems that these courts are being resurrected to do the government’s bidding ,” Malcolm Smart said.<\/p>\n
“Anyone charged with an internationally recognizable criminal offence must be promptly given a fair trial in a civilian court.”<\/p>\n
According to local human rights organizations, many teachers and members of the BTA were detained, harassed and tortured or otherwise ill-treated in detention for their participation in protests earlier this year.<\/p>\n
At least 500 people have been detained in Bahrain since pro-reform protests began in February and four have died in custody on suspicious circumstances. More than 2,500 people have been dismissed or suspended from work.<\/p>\n
BICI\u2019s five-member investigation panel is expected to report on its findings in October. …more<\/a><\/p>\n