Gulf | Bahrain
Bahrain King pardons rioters and arsonists
Rioters and arsonists were pardoned yesterday by Bahrain's king as part of 225 convicts and suspects who were included in a royal amnesty.
- Staff Report
- Published: 00:04 August 1, 2008
Manama: Rioters and arsonists were pardoned yesterday by Bahrain's king as part of 225 convicts and suspects who were included in a royal amnesty.
King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa of Bahrain pushed forward the pardon that was supposed to take place during Eid Al Fitr, so as to bring joy to the hearts of their families and spread peace in Bahrain.
Major General Abdul Lateef Rashid Al Zayani, the Chief of Public Security said that it was surprising to find out that the youth rioters were fully aware of how to manufacture a Molotov cocktails, although they lacked basic information about their school curricula and subjects.
"I'm talking about children - 12 and 13 - so our responsibility is to protect them from being misled. Rather than going to schools, they are taught to burn generators or sabotage public utilities."
Reinforcing patriotism
He said that political societies should play an important role in reinforcing patriotism among citizens.
"We should let go of the period of unrest experienced in the nineties and live in the 21st century by developing our country," Al Zayani said.
The Assistant Undersecretary of Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Interior, Colonel Mohammad Rashid Buhamood said in a statement that 151 convicts and 74 suspects imprisoned for various crimes were pardoned and released yesterday.
Clashes
The rioters and arsonists were arrested after clashes with policemen broke out in December for banning a rally to mark Martyr Day on the same day of Bahrain's National day.
The situation worsened after the death of a Bahraini man during the same month after he inhaled tear gas.
Some arsonists who were arrested over charges of burning a private farm were also pardoned after the owner, Shaikh Abdulaziz Bin Atiyatallah Al Khalifa, a member of the royal family dropped charges against them, Colonel Buhamood said.
Rioters and arsonists who were pardoned met the press at the CID premises yesterday to express their gratitude and highlight their keenness to start fresh and crime-free lives.
A suspect Jalal Hassan Mahmoud, 17, was arrested while burning tyres at a public road.
"I was arrested before but this time I came to know the effect of my deeds and will start to lead a normal life and be good citizen," Jalal who works at a maintenance company said.
Another suspect Mohammad Mahdi Abdullah, 16, was arrested for burning two generators and blowing up a cylinder.
He said that he didn't think that he would be pardoned on the same day that his parents came to visit him and they didn't know he would be released.
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