Father turns to Interpol in custody battle

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A Bahraini father has taken the fight to international authorities, involving Interpol after his Latin American wife fled abroad with their five-yearold son, ignoring court orders to return to Bahrain.

A Sharia court ruled that custody of the child must remain in Bahrain, warning that the mother would lose custody if she failed to comply.

The couple married in 2014 and have a son who holds Bahraini citizenship.

According to the father’s lawyer, Taqi Hussain, the wife, a national of a Latin American country, regularly travelled back to her homeland with her family.

However, during her most recent trip, she refused to return, instead demanding a divorce and asking her husband to disown their son.

The mother further requested the renewal of her Bahraini driving licence, claiming she needed it to stay abroad, and asked for a divorce certificate so she could remarry.

In her home country, she remains legally registered as married, which prevents her from entering into a new marriage.

The court backed the father’s case, stating that custody is intended to ensure a child’s upbringing in their home environment and cannot be exercised abroad without the father’s approval.

The judge ruled that the mother must return to Bahrain with the child.

Should she refuse, custody will be transferred to the father.

The court also noted that the mother’s decision to cut ties and stay abroad made it nearly impossible for the father to monitor his son’s wellbeing.

Lawyer Taqi Hussain confirmed that his client had sought help from the authorities to secure the child’s return.