MANAMA, 26 October 2004 — The trial of a leading Bahraini rights activist charged with inciting hatred against the regime was adjourned yesterday until Nov. 3 while the judge refused to release the defendant on bail.
Abdul Hadi Al-Khawaja appeared in court as dozens of supporters protested outside the justice ministry where the trial was held amid tight security.
Protesters demanded his immediate release and called for the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa ibn Salman Al-Khalifa. Khawaja, vice president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, was arrested in September and his organization closed down on the grounds that its activities violated the state’s associations law.
Khawaja’s lawyer charged in a memorandum to the judge that the trial was a “breach of the constitution” and demanded that the defendant be released on bail, saying it was unfair to try him under state security laws.
Prior to his arrest, Khawaja had addressed a poverty symposium at which he made remarks critical of the government’s management of the national economy.
The activist is also accused of “propagation of rumors accusing government officials and the government of abuse of power.” He pleaded not guilty at the start of his trial last Saturday.
Khawaja’s arrest and the shutdown of his center have triggered other protests in and outside Bahrain.
