Interior Ministry warns legal action against incitement

Manama : In a terse statement, Bahrain’s Interior Ministry yesterday warned a group of religious scholars not to misuse “noble royal gesture to achieve personal political gains”. 

The warning by Legal Affairs in the Interior Ministry came in light of the demands made by four religious scholars to release “all convicts” jailed.

The statement, the Ministry said, is an attempt to “misuse King’s noble royal gesture” and an implicit call to “incite the public opinion” and “misrepresent the facts”.

The Ministry stressed such actions if repeated “will face legal procedures” on charges of direct or indirect incitement that result in any illegal street movement or stances that harm civil or public security.

Notices were served to clerics Abdulla Al Ghuraifi, Abdul-Hussain Al Sitri, Mohammed Al Rabee’ee and Mohammed Sanqoor, whose demands received nationwide condemnation. 

They made the statement soon after His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa commuted death penalties handed down to four terrorists to life in prison.  

The pardon came a day after the Military Court of Cassation upheld the capital punishments handed down to the four defendants for plotting to assassinate Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. They were among six defendants who were charged with forming a terrorist group, attempting to assassinate the Commander-in-Chief of BDF) and carrying out terror attacks. 

The Military High Court had earlier sentenced seven other defendants involved in the same case to seven years of imprisonment and ordered to revoke their citizenships, while five other defendants were acquitted.  

In his response, Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry’s Undersecretary Dr Farid Al Meftah, described the demands as “an outrageous attempt to hijack HM the King’s benevolent gesture.”

The act, Dr Al Meftah said, is an attempt to “acquit criminals despite the shameful crimes they had committed and the blood they had shed”.

“It’s unacceptable to ignore the crimes committed by those convicts and others and to take advantage of HM the King’s gesture. 

“They should have defended the rights of people, instead of attempting to ignore facts and exploiting HM the King’s decision,” he added.