Qatar court to hear cases of 97 detained Bahraini fishermen

Manama: A Qatari court on Monday will decide the fate of 97 Bahrain-based fishermen in Doha's custody for allegedly entering the country’s waters illegally.

According to Bahraini human rights activists, 31 Bahrainis and 66 Asians will be tried by a court in Rayyan, in the western part of Doha, amid hopes that the Qatari authorities would allow them to go home after paying fines.

One of the detainees, Adel Al Taweel, has been held for one month now after he was shot for failing to heed warning shots by Qatar's coastguards to leave Qatari waters.

The 37-year-old Bahraini was treated at a local hospital, but the authorities did not release him despite the arrival of a medical team and a human rights delegation from Bahrain to repatriate him.

Ahmad Khalil, the father of three fishermen held in Qatar, said that he was looking forward to being reunited with them.

"They have been held for a long time and I hope to see them here very soon," he said. "We urge the Qatari authorities to allow all detainees to go home so that they are with their families again and able to resume their fishing activities," he said.

Bahrain, the smallest of the six-member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, has been pushing for an agreement between GCC states that would allow Gulf fishermen to enter one another's waters freely.