A man, who assaulted a lawyer in the family courthouse in Riffa, has been spared up to a year in prison after the attorney decided to drop charges.
The Lower Criminal Court acquitted the Bahraini defendant after he apologised to the battered attorney and signed a statement admitting responsibility.
According to the court, the Bahraini lawyer was attacked while practising law, as he had represented the adversary of the defendant in a Sharia Court case.
The acquittal was a result of an amendment in the Code of Criminal Procedures, which allows for assault cases to end in reconciliation if the victim chooses to withdraw their claim in the case.
Although judge Abdulla Janahi declared that the defendant was free to go, he gave him a stern warning that he would face severe consequences should he repeat the act.
“This is a land of law and institutions,” judge Janahi told the defendant yesterday.
“This conduct is absolutely unacceptable; we do not live in a jungle.
“Just because the victim withdrew his complaint does not mean that what happened is okay. You must control your anger and never have an outburst like this again.
“Repeating such actions will result in you receiving the penalty you deserve.”
The defendant appeared remorseful, and said that he was wrong, and recounted that he apologised to the victim and his family in person after he did what he did.
The trial ended after just one hearing, since the judge had received the withdrawal letter, signed by the victim, just two days after the March 25 incident.
After a two-week spell in pre-trial custody, the defendant was free to go.
Mahmood Alwadyani, the attorney representing the victim, was present during the hearing.
“The honourable judge reprimanded the defendant for what he did,” he said in a statement.
“The judge made it clear that the courthouse is not an arena to act on personal feuds, but rather a space where such disputes can be settled, first and foremost by respecting the law and the legal profession.
“The victim’s choice to withdraw his complaint was not due to laxity, but was a choice made after much thought, and due to a sense of responsibility to represent the integrity of the Bahraini lawyer.”
Although the victim sustained unspecified injuries due to the attack, they were not permanent, and he has since made a complete recovery.
After the incident occurred late last month, the Bahrain Bar Society condemned the incident and urged authorities to ensure the protection of lawyers performing their duties.
“We, the board of directors of the Bahrain Bar Society, have learned of a serious assault on a lawyer who was performing his professional duties in the family courts at the Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry building in Hunainiyah,” the society said in a statement.
“Based on our professional and ethical duty, which includes ensuring the safety and independence of those in the legal profession, we would like to ensure the freedom and immunity of lawyers, preserve the sanctity of their work and guarantee their rights.
“Not only do we condemn this brutal attack on a lawyer who was only performing his duty, we also hope that such an attack will not be dismissed as just a minor assault.”
The statement also called upon the executive and judicial authorities to take necessary measures against the assailant and to protect lawyers.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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