Lawyer brutally beaten inside Sharia Courts Complex by client’s ex-husband after hearing

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A lawyer was attacked by a client’s ex-husband inside the Sharia Courts Complex moments after a hearing, suffering bleeding head wounds before being taken to the hospital.

The assault, carried out inside a building meant to uphold the law, has led to renewed calls for stronger protection for those practising it.

The lawyer had just represented a woman in a family case against her former husband. As he made his way to the lift, the man followed and struck him repeatedly in the head.

Criminal complaint

A criminal complaint was filed, and the attacker was arrested on the spot.

The lawyer was treated in hospital for his injuries.

According to the Public Prosecution, the man has confessed.

He admitted to hitting the lawyer, saying he was driven by personal resentment over the lawyer’s role in the divorce case.

Urgent trial

The attack took place in Hunainiya, and the case has now been referred to urgent trial.

Proceedings are set to begin on 7 April before the Second Lower Criminal Court.

Prosecutors said statements were taken from the victim and witnesses, and that technical reports supported the complaint. The Deputy Chief Prosecutor for the Southern Governorate condemned the attack and said lawyers must be recognised as part of the legal machinery.

Legal action

She warned that anyone who shows contempt for the profession would face legal action.

The Bahrain Bar Society had earlier issued a statement condemning the incident.

It said this was no passing scuffle but a direct challenge to the role of lawyers within the justice system.

The society urged both the executive and judicial branches to respond with force.

Law

It also called once again for a law that would shield lawyers from physical attack while doing their jobs — whether in court or at their offices — as seen in other Gulf and Arab countries.

The group said Bahrain should ensure its laws live up to the agreements it has signed abroad. Salah Al Madfa, head of the Bar Society, said the lawyer had been defending a woman in a Sharia dispute when her ex-husband lashed out.

Treatment

The lawyer was left with a bleeding wound to the head and required hospital treatment. The suspect was held soon after.

The society said it would keep pressing for tighter legal cover to close the gaps that have left lawyers exposed, and to back the profession as a mainstay in the defence of justice and personal rights.