Arab father and his son appeal 10-year trafficking conviction by Bahrain court

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Bahrain High Appeals Court began hearing the appeal of an Arab man in his fifties and his young son against a 10-year prison sentence issued against them in absentia.

The defendants were convicted of trafficking a girl from their country.

The accused appeared in court accompanied by his wife and daughters, as well as his son, who is the second defendant.

The accused maintained that his involvement in the incident was limited to offering temporary accommodation to the victim at his home, along with his wife and daughters, for one day due to her disputes with her husband, and that he had no knowledge of the trafficking operation.

The victim officially married the second defendant in their Arab country. He took her with him to Bahrain for their honeymoon, but he forced her into prostitution.

She also claimed that the convicted man in his fifties and his son coerced her into engaging in illicit activities and assisted them by hosting her and transporting her to clients.

The case was referred to the court, which sentenced the husband to 10 years in prison.

The verdict was also issued in absentia against the accused man in his fifties and his son, sentencing them to 10 years in prison.

The two defendants appealed the verdict, and the accused man in his fifties appeared in court with his son, presenting his wife as a witness to deny the allegations.

He explained that he had been in Bahrain for several years and had business activities in addition to his companies in several foreign countries.