Fix the judiciary (part 2)
Sunday, February 06, 2005As SBG noted in a comment here and a post on her own blog, the Women's Petition Committee (in co-ordination with the BCHR) held a protest in front of the Ministry of Justice demanding the resignation of the Public Prosecutor Shaikh Abdul Rahman Bin Jaber Al Khalifa as well as some Sharia court judges. Read about it at Gulf News and Khaleej Times. Interesting that the GDN article does not mention the Public Prosecutor's name. I was planning on showing up myself so I could speak to those involved and find out what they have to say,.. but I... erm... forgot to set my alarm so I didn't wake up in time.
The WPC accused the court judges of discriminating against women, especially in family law cases (which are handled by the Sharia courts). Personally, I support the demand for sacking many of the judges. Some of the court decisions in the past few years have been absolutely ridiculous... a rapist getting just a year in prison, compared with six months for someone who stole a goat; BD300 for torture; rape victims getting arrested before the rapists; a critic of the government got a year, and the human rights group he represented was shut down. And let's not forget Ahmed and the tens (hundreds?) of others who have been sitting in prison for months on end without trial. So obviously I think Shaikh Abdul Rahman should have tendered his resignation long ago. My only hesitation in calling for his removal is the fear that his successor won't be any better.
But as I've said before, our judiciary is the institution that is most in need of a serious overhaul if we want to get anywhere. Most important is to ensure its independence from the government. Sooner or later heads will have to roll, and I'd prefer it to be sooner.
This entry was posted
on Sunday, February 06, 2005 at 2/06/2005 11:32:00 pm. Permalink
2/07/2005 11:33:00 am
Thanks Chanad for highlighting Ahmed's plight..again.
Ahmed's mother has aged 10 years over the past few months (almost nine to be precise) since Ahmed was kidnapped by the authorities.
Personally, the more I think about it, the more exhausted I become.
I can't stop asking myself what they want from him. There is something really fishy in his case, which I cannot disclose a lot about here for legal purposes.
He smoked hash outside Bahrain and they found its traces in his blood. Fine. He has completed his six months in custody. What more do they want?
He is not involved in politics nor are any of his extended family members - none at all / not a single one of them - so I don't see why the authorities are holding Ahmed randsom?
If he really did commit a crime, let them put him on trial and sentence him.
What are they afraid of ?
Why are they keeping him with them without access to a fair and just trial for so long?
What are they waiting for ?
What do they want from him ?
Why do real criminals who have committed crimes breeze in and out without being charged and are released after paying nominal bails?
What do they really want from Ahmed ?
His future has already been destroyed. He has lost his job. His reputation has been tarnished.
What more do they really want ?
Posted by Silly Girl