Bahrain Mirror: Member of Bahrain's Special Investigation Unit (SIU), Mohammad Khaled Al-Hazaa, stated that the Second Minor Criminal Court acquitted a police officer of the charge of  assaulting the bodily integrity of a person on Thursday (March 17, 2016).

One of the prisoners filed a complaint stating that he was beaten by the defendant on June 30, 2015. The SIU launched its investigations into the case and then referred it to the court that issued the aforementioned verdict.

The SIU is now looking into the grounds the sentence is based on to study the possibility of appealing the sentence.

A few days ago, a court also acquitted 9 policemen of charges of torture practiced against prisoners, despite the fact that there were witnesses, including the prominent human rights defender, Nabeel Rajab, who was imprisoned at the time.

International human rights organizations say that the authorities are not serious in holding accountable the members of the public security forces who violate human rights. Not even one policeman has been convicted of torturing an inmate, while most of the policemen accused of killing protestors are acquitted. However, the prison terms of the remaining policemen were commuted to symbolic sentences to only 6 months in prison.

Arabic Version