Bahrain Mirror: Lawyers of the panel defending the former Al-Wefaq Member of Parliament, who resigned in 2011, Sheikh Hassan Isa said in a statement last night (September 4, 2015): "We are concerned about not being allowed to contact Sheikh Hassan Isa."

The defense panel lawyers (Jassem Serhan, Mohsen Al-Alawi and Yusuf Rabie') explained that they were present at the Public prosecution's office since Thursday (August 20, 2015) in order to attend any interrogation he undergoes, yet the whole time they were there, no interrogation took place and they weren't informed about any scheduled date. Although they addressed the attorney-general to permit their client to officially appoint an attorney, and although they followed up that request daily and the Public Prosecution said that it accepted the request according to its statement on August 27, 2015, these procedures haven't taken place yet.

"The Public Prosecution's statement attempted to accuse the defense panel of negligence by saying that the lawyers didn't visit Sheikh Hassan Isa during his detention," added the defense panel, pointing out that "the Public Prosecution rejected a request by the defense panel to visit their client in detention, contact him and review the investigation papers."

However, the lawyers also said: "The defense panel received information from Sheikh Hassan Isa's family saying that he is suffering from exhaustion and sleep deprivation, following hours of interrogation, without allowing him to have a lawyer during these interrogations."

As for what was mentioned in the Terrorist Crimes Prosecution's statement on August 26, 2015, which claimed that Sheikh Hassan Isa: "confessed to providing amounts of money to a number of suspects on a semi-regular basis, while aware that they are wanted by security forces," the lawyers said: "The information that the defense panel received contradicts with this statement," stressing that "the panel has evidence that proves the opposite," and that their client "is one of the active figures that called for the implementation of the non-violence document that the political opposition societies issued, and is known for his stances against terrorism."

"He is a cleric committed to his beliefs which forbid him to engage in such acts of terrorism and violence," the panel further stated, reiterating their request to refute the charges during the investigation process before the Public Prosecution."

The defense panel lawyers concluded their statement by expressing their concern about the slow pace procedures," demanding that "Sheikh Hassan Isa be allowed to assign an attorney."

Arabic Issue