Rights body to take Bahrain, UK to ICC

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/183964.html

A Lebanon-based rights body plans to file a case with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Bahraini and UK governments for their collusion in the brutal crackdown on Bahraini protesters.

Chief Representative of Beirut-based International Coalition against Impunity May el-Khansa and 10 European lawyers would file the lawsuit on June 17, Lebanese broadcaster Al-Manar reported on Wednesday.

Speaking to Press TV, El-Khansa said, “We have put a case before the ICC court before this time (sic). But now we are preparing more important case with more evidence to put it again before the court.”

As evidence, the group is expected to present to the court graphical images as well as video footage, which the activist say will show “the crimes of Bahraini government.”

Thousands of anti-government protesters have been staging peaceful demonstrations in Bahrain since mid-February, demanding the ouster of the Al Khalifa family, which has been ruling the Persian Gulf sheikhdom for over 40 years.

On March 14, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates deployed troops to the kingdom to help the Bahraini forces suppress the nationwide protests.

Scores of people have been killed and many more arrested in the Saudi-backed crackdown.

The complaint will also point the finger of blame at the United Kingdom's military for training Bahraini troops to crush opposition protests. “We have [evidence against] the military force of the United Kingdom. We accuse them in this…new case,” el-Khansa noted.

The group accuses the ruling Bahraini family and the White Hall of committing “crimes against humanity, genocide, aggression, war crimes” and use of restricted weapons.

El-Khansa, who would take some of the victims along with her to the ICC, predicted that “the court is very reactive with (sic) us cause the crimes are shown very well and everything is clear as an evidence (sic).”