Exploiting children in violent rallies worry Bahrainis

Manama: Many Bahraini families are concerned that their children can be exploited in illegal and violent rallies, a human rights activist has said.

Faisal Fulad, president of the Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society, said in a statement yesterday that the society had been receiving calls for the past three years from families complaining that their children were being "brainwashed" by illegal rally organisers.

"The Public Prosecution has been releasing protesters and rioters who were caught in illegal and violent rallies only because they are minors and could not be incriminated by Bahraini laws," Fulad said.

He said those motivating children to participate in illegal activities and jeopardise their future should get severe punishment.

"Most of the riots that are common in disturbed villages are held at night by masked children who are under 18," the activist said.

Involvement in crimes

Fulad blamed the dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights and the unregistered Haq Movement for involving children in dangerous and illegal activities. He said that a report was referred to international human rights organisations urging them to denounce such practice that could put youths in danger and promote their involvement in crimes.

But, Abdul Halim Murad, a lawmaker, demanded in a statement from the Judiciary Authority to sentence the killer of policeman Majid Asghar Ali with death penalty. He also asked to put on trial those arrested with vandalism charges by the anti-terror law rather than Panel Code Law for tougher punishments and to warn others from following their footsteps.

The policeman was killed when he was attacked while patrolling one of the disturbed villages by masked men with iron sticks and Molotov cocktails.