Man cleared of public slander

TDT | Manama

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A Criminal Court has acquitted a man accused of public slander and set aside a BD20 criminal order after finding the case was not proven and that doubt surrounded the allegation. The court ruled that the criminal order should fall and be treated as though it had never been issued, applying Article 255 of the Criminal Procedure law.

According to lawyer AbdulAdheem Hubail, prosecutors alleged his client publicly directed words at a woman and her daughter on a public road that would harm their honour and reputation, without tying the claim to a specific incident.

A criminal order was issued imposing a BD20 fine.

Objection

The defendant objected to the order under Article 277 of the Criminal Procedure law and the dispute was heard in court. He denied the accusation and denied any criminal intent to insult or cause harm.

The defence argued that the papers contained no decisive proof beyond the complainants’ statements and that there was no neutral witness.

It also said a video clip submitted in the case did not show any clear act establishing wrongdoing.

In its reasoning, the court said it could not be satisfied to convict on uncorroborated statements and noted the family relationship between the complainants as one factor that added to doubt about the reliability of the account.

The court reaffirmed the principle that doubt is interpreted in the defendant’s favour once the court has examined the case with due care, and that protecting individual rights and freedoms outweighs the risk of a guilty person avoiding punishment.