Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, Bahrain’s highest Shiite religious authority, accused the regime of ushering in the new year with programs of immorality, sabotage of Islamic thought.
Besides, the country’s poor infrastructure has once again on full display as heavy rains cause floods throughout homes, businesses and parks across the country. The floods have also caused power outages, leaving many neighborhoods in complete darkness. These scenes are repeated almost every year during the winter season.
Meanwhile, Bahrain’s ruler Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa issued a royal decree restructuring the interior ministry. The amendments name the so-called General Directorate of Verdict Enforcement and Alternative Sentencing as being part of that ministry.
Ebrahim Sarhan, Bahraini prominent lawyer, pointed to the latest restructuring of the kingdom’s interior ministry is an evidence that Manama’s alternative sentences law is not being implemented by a judicial body. In a Twitter post on Tuesday, Sarhan described the law as an “asset” of the interior ministry.
The 2017 alternative sentences law is hailed by Manama as a sign of its commitment to reform, with select prisoners who had served at least half their sentence being allowed to complete it through community service, rehabilitation courses and electronic surveillance.
In the same context, court proceedings against Mubarak, Salman Ali Salman, Youssef Yasser, and Jassem Muhammad Hassan, who have been in detention, since September of last year, have been adjourned, until later this mont. The 4 youths are being held on trumped-up charges, noting that 2 of the defendants are minors. They were reportedly prevented from testifying about the severe torture they endured while in the custody by Manama’s security services.
Another 5 minors, detained last Monday, had their detention extended for another week ‘pending an investigation.’ It is not known what exactly they are being investigated for. Among the 5 are 3 brothers: Muhammad Jaafar Al-Kuwaiti (15), Muqtada Jaafar Al-Kuwaiti (15) and Muntadhar Jaafar Al-Kuwaiti (14). The other two are Ahmed Fadel Ahmed Habil (15) and Mohamed Abdel-Zahra Mansour (15).
The security forces also arrested Hussein Mahmoud Al-Sayed Mahfouz, another youth, without proper cause over the weekend. Hussein was reportedly scooped up in the village of Al Markh, and there is no official information about what he is being investigated for.
For his part, prisoner of conscience Abduljalil Al-Singace is continuing with his hunger strike after more than 180 days. The detained academic, who suffers from multiple chronic illnesses, lost more than 20 kilograms since June, and his family is worried about his deteriorating healt. Al-Singace’s only demand for ending the hunger strike is the return of his confiscated academic research.
