BFHR’s response to the NIHR: It seems that you do not read the military judiciary’s statements, and you praise the trial while you have not listened to the accused

In response to the statement of the National Institute for Human Rights (NIHR) issued yesterday, on Monday, about the fourth hearing of the first civilians who are being tried by the military judiciary, the Bahrain Forum for Human Rights (BFHR) said that the presence of the NIHR at the fourth hearing does not nullify the decision of secret trial.

The statement added that the NIHR’s presence at the fourth session of the trial is its first presence, which shows that the NIHR has come in late to observe the case and its facts and events; in addition, it did not listen to the torture complaints and the details of the case, and therefore, it cannot deny the case of enforced disappearance or the crime of torture and ill-treatment.

The BFHR asked: How does the NIHR’s statement praise the proceedings of the trial sessions while the NIHR came late, did not observe the proceedings of the interrogation at the Public Prosecution, did not know the court\\\\\\\'s decision which states that the case is confidential and did not listen to the defendants’ lawyers? The BFHR further asked: How does the NIHR claim that the trial is public while there is a decision stating that the hearings are confidential? The BFHR added that it seems that the rush to write statements praising the judicial institution in Bahrain is the reason why they did not read the statement of the military judiciary.

The BFHR explained that the NIHR’s statement did not address the fact that the military judiciary is not the normal judiciary provided for in Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and thus it is trying to legalize the role of the military judiciary in the trial of civilians even though the Military Judiciary Law violates the international law.

The BFHR noted that the NIHR did not comment on the enforced disappearance of the two citizens, Sayed Fadhel al-Sayed Abbas and Sayed Alawi Hussein, that lasted for 13 months before they were referred to the military trial, or on the other victims of enforced disappearance, Mohammed al-Motaghawi and Mohammed al-Shehabi, or the three citizens who were arrested before reaching adulthood, Muntather Fawzi Abdulkareem, Mohamed Abdul Wahid Mohamed, and Hussein Issam Hussein Abdullah Maki.  The BFHR added that the NIHR quickly praised the course of the trial of civilians even though it violates the international standards related to fair trials and the Code of Criminal Procedure.