Set as Homepage
Sat, Jan 29, 2011
24 Shevat, 5771
Breaking News
Diplomacy & Politics
Defense
National News
Middle East
International
Iranian Threat
Business
Real Estate
Sports
Sci-Tech
Opinion
Columnists
Editorials
Op-Eds
Letters
Jewish World
Jewish News
Jewish Features
Judaism
Cafe Oleh
Lifestyle
Arts & Culture
Food & Wine
Travel
Health
Features
WikiLeaks
Insights & Features
Week in review
Blogs
In the news
Judaism
From the Middle East
Lifestyle
Aliyah
Science and Technology
Premium Zone
The Jerusalem Report
Dash
20 Questions
e-paper
Ivrit
Magazine
Metro
In Jerusalem
Christian Edition
My JPost
Advertise with Us
Work for Us
Subscription Center
Newsletter
RSS feeds
News Ticker
Facebook
Twitter
Classifieds
Français
JPost Apps
JPost Toolbar
JPost Kotel Cam
JPost Alert
Breaking News
JPost.com
Middle East
Photo by: AP
Bahrain lawyers boycott anti-state plot trial
By
ASSOCIATED PRESS
12/09/2010 14:23
Activists accused of plotting against Bahrain's rulers claim they were tortured, drawing attention to prison abuse claims.
Lawyers in Bahrain for 25 activists accused of plotting against the Gulf nation's rulers staged a mass resignation Thursday to protest alleged torture by authorities in the strategic US ally.
The walkout — which brought the trial to a halt — was the latest tactic to draw attention to prisoner abuse claims and force a deeper look into a major crackdown on dissidents in the tiny island kingdom that hosts the US Navy's 5th Fleet.
Authorities accuse the detainees — 23 in custody and two charged in absentia — of supporting "terrorist" cells seeking to overthrow the Sunni Muslim dynasty that rules over a Shiite majority in Bahrain, a nation no bigger in area than New York City.
The arrests were part of a sweeping offensive launched last summer against perceived threats to the state. The detentions touched off Shiite-led riots and rallies that have severely strained Sunni-Shiite relations in the country.
Washington and allies worry that the widening rifts could roll back a decade of political reforms and open footholds for Iran — the region's Shiite power — to build stronger ties with Bahrain's Shiites, who have complained for decades of discrimination and being frozen out of top security and political posts.
One of the defense attorneys, Jalila al-Sayed, said the 25-member legal team walked out after failing to get a court-ordered probe into alleged jailhouse beatings and other abuses against the suspects, who include human rights activists and bloggers.
It forces Bahraini authorities to appoint a new defense team, which could complicate efforts to resume the two-month-old proceedings that have been attended by diplomats from the United States and Europe. The next hearing was scheduled for Dec. 23.
"We withdrew because the court disregards our requests to investigate the torture claims," said al-Sayed. "We now consider this trial to be unfair and against international standards and we won't be part of it."
Bahraini leaders have previously denied any abuses of the detainees and point to the country's parliamentary elections — a rarity in the tightly ruled Gulf — as evidence of openness and tolerance.
In October's national vote, Shiites held onto their 18 seats in the 40-member chamber, but did not gain enough outside allies for a majority bloc.
Subscribe to our Newsletter to receive news updates directly to your email
Tweet
Talkback
Add a Talkback
Report Abuse
Read all Talkbacks
Send
Large
Small
Print
Share
Tweet
Premium Zone
Fight our enemies, tell the truth
By BEN-DROR YEMINI
Yachimovich’s Labor of love
By EVELYN GORDON
The democrats vs. the non-democrats
By ALON LIEL
Is it good for the Jews?
By MICHAEL BAR-ZOHAR
Opinion and Features
1
2
3
Editor's Notes: Missing a moment of truth
DAVID HOROVITZ
Column One: The pragmatic fantasy
CAROLINE B. GLICK
Decency abhors a vacuum
DANIEL GORDIS
Another Tack: Alas, poor Labor
SARAH HONIG
The slippery slope
M. KREMNITZER,...
The Arab Peace Initiative is our best shot at peace
ALON BEN-MEIR
Fundamentally Freund: Wiki-Palestine
MICHAEL FREUND
A remarkable, brilliant exercise in public diplomacy
M. RADOSHITZKY
A region in ferment
JPOST EDITORIAL
Your Choice
Talkbacked
Likes
Thousands in Jordan protest, demand ...
In 3rd day of protests, opposition supporters take to streets in Amman ...
Talkbacks (
10
)
01/28/2011 15:02
Cairo scene of violent chaos ...
Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters stoned, confronted police ...
Talkbacks (
7
)
01/28/2011 14:10
Mubarak: 'There will be new ...
Egyptian president: I am aware of peoples' aspirations, achievements ...
Talkbacks (
7
)
01/29/2011 00:44
Bahrain
lawyers
protest
prison
abuse
Sunni
Shiite
Israel Focus
The Dollar is DOWN
Poverty is UP
Help Feed Israel's Poor
Dead Sea Salt
Shop Dead Sea Bath Salts online. Coupon "JPOST" for 10% off!
Jerusalem Post Lite
Light Edition of the Jerusalem Post for English improvement