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Assault on ex-wife: Bahraini man denies charges in court

Manama : The Bahraini man facing domestic violence charges for brutally assaulting his Syrian ex-wife earlier this month will remain in custody after the Third Lower Criminal Court on Thursday adjourned the case to October 3.

The 52-year-old accused denied assaulting Zahra Subhi, the 35-year-old mother of five, before the judges, claiming innocence and pleaded not guilty.As reported earlier, the victim’s daughter told the Public Prosecution that she saw her father assaulting her mother.

The woman, who is recuperating at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC), said in a video message that the man frequently assaulted her during the ten years of their previous marriage and claimed that the recent attack was an attempt to murder her so he could marry another woman.

The incident had sparked a public outrage after the incident went viral on social media raising the issue of domestic violence in Bahrain and pushing civil authorities to take immediate action.

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‘Toughen penalties’

Head of the Child and Mother Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives Roua Al Hayki said in a statement that she had submitted a parliamentary proposal to toughen penalties against those who assault women, especially pregnant women, causing miscarriage.

The MP considered the existing legislations and punishments against assailants “light” and “not equal to deal with the gravity of the crime”. 

However, the lawmaker’s proposal is expected to be discussed only during the upcoming last quarter of the legislative council session, expected to begin as per a Royal Decree by next month.