Bahrain Mirror: First attorney general, Ahmad Al Dosari, said that Decree No. 1 of 2017 amending some provisions of Decree No. 14 of 2002 pertaining to establishing the National Security Agency, granted the agency officers and members the status of "law enforcement officers".

In a statement to Bahrain News Agency (BNA), Al Dossari clarified that the law enforcement status given to the National Security Agency, will only be limited to terrorist crimes, according to the decree text.

Moreover, Al-Dosari indicated that Decree No. 1 of 2017 explicitly states that "in cases other than terrorist crimes, the [law enforcement] apparatus ought to refer cases requiring arrest or detention to the Interior Ministry to take legal actions".

The Decree contradicts with paragraph 1718 of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry's (Bassiouni Commission) recommendations, which explicitly stated the need to limit the work of the National Security Agency in Bahrain to collecting information without enforcing law and arresting suspects.

Arabic Version