Religious figure accused in defaming case granted bail

A Bahraini religious figure accused of insulting the symbol of a Muslim sect online was granted bail by the Lower Criminal Court.

The defendant was detained after he tweeted a comment which was deemed defamatory against the symbol of a Muslim sect but his lawyer Fatima Al Hawaj told the court that he was only sharing the opinions of scholars.

“My client was only passing some scholars’ point of view on the symbol, which wasn’t his. He simply didn’t mean to insult anybody,” Ms Al Hawaj said in her arguments yesterday.

“My client has decided to take part in the next parliamentary elections, and there are many trouble-makers trying to set up traps on his way to obstruct him. I don’t believe there is any harm on sharing other scholars’ opinions on anything because there is no article in our penal law criminalising such an act,” she added.