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19 deny chargesSep 28, 2011 (Gulf Daily News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- NINETEEN suspects, including 15 women and four men, appeared in court for the first time yesterday in connection with Friday's protests inside Bahrain City Centre, just one day before Saturday's by-election. They have been accused of staging an illegal demonstration, inciting hatred against the regime, subverting security and disrupting public order. The Lower Criminal Court heard yesterday that they attacked four policemen sent to restore order. However, the suspects pleaded not guilty and the judge adjourned the trial until tomorrow, when defence lawyers will submit their closing statements. Defence lawyers sought the release of their clients and asked for 15 of them to be examined for signs of alleged mistreatment. Lawyers also threatened to lodge a complaint against security personnel. One attorney, Hashim Saleh, claimed his client was in the mall car park at the time and didn't participate in the gathering, which disrupted business in the shopping centre and led to it being closed down for around an hour. He said he was with his brother, who had been arrested in relation to Friday's protest, but was released from custody on Monday. Meanwhile, the Information Affairs Authority issued a statement in which it said 26 of 45 women and girls arrested on Friday for their part in disturbances in the mall had been released from detention. It also included a denial by the Interior Ministry Assistant Under-Secretary for Legal Affairs that women arrested in connection with the incident had been mistreated in detention. Video footage of the incident available on YouTube shows shoppers applauding riot police as they entered the shopping centre to confront demonstrators, who caused panic among shoppers. One Bahraini woman told the GDN she fled the mall with her children as soon as she heard the commotion. ___ (c)2011 the Gulf Daily News (Manama, Bahrain) Visit the Gulf Daily News (Manama, Bahrain) at www.gulf-daily-news.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |