Bahrain MPs 'against' deporting expat convicts

Manama : A parliamentary panel rejected a proposal to immediately deport expats convicted in prostitution-related cases and permanently ban them from re-entering the country, without referring them to court.

In a bid to save government spending on non-Bahraini prisoners and eliminate prostitution from the society, MP Jamal Dawood and four other members had submitted the proposal in November last year.

The matter was then referred to the Council’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee, which stated lately, “After studying the matter with representatives of Interior Ministry, the committee decided to reject the proposal.”

Explaining further, Committee Head MP Abdulla Binhowail said, “The ministry informed us that convicts can be deported only after they completely serve their jail terms. The ministry also said that a new mechanism will be implemented in GCC countries to permanently ban those involved in cases related to prostitution from reentering any country in the GCC.”

Binhowail added, “The proposal may harm individuals’ freedom by deporting them without issuing any judicial verdicts in their cases”.

Additionally, the MP said that suspects could be innocent, adding that “suspects are not guilty unless criminalised by a judicial order”. The presenters of the proposal mentioned earlier that “if implemented, the proposal would reduce government spending on non-Bahraini prisoners and contribute in eliminating the issue of prostitution from the Bahraini society”.

However, the matter would be discussed and voted on in the upcoming weekly Parliament meeting on Tuesday.

Considering the other MPs who showed support to the proposal earlier, the committee’s decision to reject the proposal is expected to raise a debate in the Parliament House.