Bahrain Mirror: Bahrain's Ministry of Interior said that it arrested a number of juveniles over taking part in protests that it described as "rioting and vandalism".

Assistant Undersecretary for Legal Affairs at the Interior Ministry Major-General Mohammed Bou Hamood announced "the arrest of a number of minors who were manipulated into taking part in riots and acts of vandalism in various villages."

"Legal action was taken against them and their parents were summoned to sign pledges to ensure their children would not take part in criminal activities and acts of delinquency. The parents were also ordered to bring their children to their local police directorates to appear before the Juvenile Prosecution as per the instructions of the Public Prosecutor," he added.

"The legal measures were taken to promote the rule of law," Bou Hamood further stated.

He went on to say that "when questioned, the minors said they had taken part in the riots including assembling to commit crimes and disrupt security, attack police patrols, commit acts of arson, block roads and throw metal rods."

In this context, he highlighted that Article 19 of Decree Law 23/2013 in amendment of Law 17/1976 stipulates the "imprisonment and/or fine for anyone who is raising a juvenile and has been warned in accordance with point (a) of Article 4 of the law for neglecting the supervision of the juvenile in a way that makes him repeat the crime" and that Article 20 stipulated the "imprisonment of not less than one year and/or a fine of up to BD 2,000 for anyone who has been given responsibility of a juvenile but neglects him in a way that allows him to commit a crime."

The Assistant Undersecretary further said that the public security forces "do not hesitate to pursue anyone who is proven responsible for or helped in inciting or agreeing to commit any crime and refer him to competent parties if evidence prove that."

He also stressed that "parents are responsible for protecting their children from being instigated and preventing them from engaging in illegal activities, which requires monitoring their actions and directing them towards the right path."

Arabic Issue