The King of Bahrain His Excellency King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa gave his approval to new amendments in Law No. 58 Of 2006 With Respect to Protection Of The Community Against Terrorist Acts of Bahrain. The new amendments are to deter and provide teeth to the enforcement machinery against the suspects. The new law is also an effort on part of the GCC nation to protect any other Gulf Nation against the scourge of terrorism.
The new law lays down the provision to make any act which is purported to propogate, glorify, favour, justify or abet/encourage any act which constitute terrorist activities under the definition of the terrorist activities under the Penal Code 2006. The new law also mentions about the punishment physical and monetary both to discourage such heinous acts such as the violators or propagators or abettors of such terrorist activities in Kingdom Bahrain whether inside the country or a fugitive or operate from outside shall face imprisonment upto five years with/or fines in Bahraini Dinars (BHD) ranging from Bahraini Dinar 2000 to 5000.
The amendment to a 2006 Law on Protection Of The Community Against Terrorist Acts of Bahrain, came in force on the following day of its publication in Bahrain's Official Gazette in 2019.The amendment were introduced because the Bahraini authorities unearthed network of gang that had been destabilizing electronic accounts in Bahrain and operated from several other countries such as Germany, Qatar, Iran and Iraq.
But the flip side of this amendment is that the Bahraini Authorities are silencing the civil society and the residents who are genuinely protesting on any issue in the Kingdom related to their rights. Hence, the probability of misuse of the terrorist law on such genuine demonstration is gross violation of human rights.
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