MPs Approve Stricter Digital Bans for Offenders

TDT | Manama

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The courts will now have the power to block offenders not only from certain places but also from specific online platforms linked to their crimes.

This change is part of amendments in a government-backed bill, approved by MPs, aimed at expanding alternative sentencing.

The lawmakers added tighter movement restrictions and two new penalties: mandatory rehabilitation in psychiatric or medical institutions and scheduled reporting to law enforcement.

The amendments, which revise multiple articles of the 2017 Alternative Penalties and Measures Law, also shift oversight of alternative sentencing programmes from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Interior.

MP Ahmed Al Salloom described the law as “one of Bahrain’s most forward-thinking legal steps,” pointing out that the kingdom led the Gulf in moving towards rehabilitation over prison time.

“After seven years of use, these changes fine-tune it to work better,” he said.

The bill, reviewed by the Foreign Affairs, Defence, and National Security Committee, passed without objections.

Changes

The Supreme Judicial Council confirmed Parliament’s authority to approve the changes, while the National Institution for Human Rights described them as a shift towards reducing jail terms and improving reintegration.

Public Prosecution will work with the Interior Ministry on sentencing requests, with judges making the final decision.

Discretion

Alternative sentences will generally match the length of the original jail term, though courts retain discretion.

Al Salloom said more than 7,000 offenders had already been sentenced under alternative measures since 2017.

“This law has changed lives and will now be even stronger,” he added.