Religião da justissa X

Um xeque da família reinante dos Emirados Árabes Unidos foi considerado inocente num processo, no mínimo, polémico. Repare-se que um defensor dos direitos humanos já considerou um avanço, em relação ao que é normal naquele país, que tenha sequer havido um "julgamento".

« A member of the United Arab Emirates' ruling family on trial in connection with the videotaped beating of an Afghan man was cleared of all charges Sunday. Judge Mubarak al-Awad acquitted Sheik Issa bin Zayed Al Nahyan of all charges in a UAE criminal court in the oasis city of Al Ain. The charges against Issa, a half brother of the country's president, included endangering a life, causing bodily harm and rape. (...)

It was the first time that a member of the ruling family of this wealthy Gulf Arab nation had been put on trial, but human rights groups were quick to criticize Issa's acquittal.

The trial began in October, providing a rare public spectacle in the Emirates, where transgressions of the ruling elite are typically dealt with behind closed doors and according to tribal customs.

(...)

Al-Awad, who presided over a three-judge panel, said Issa was innocent since he was in a state of "diminished liability" during the videotaped 2004 incident in Abu Dhabi's eastern desert.

The judge gave no other explanation for the ruling when he read the court's verdict.

The tape caused international outrage when it was broadcast by a U.S. television station last year. Since then, it has also appeared on the Internet, showing a suspect, identified as Issa, viciously beating a man said to be an Afghan worker and firing an automatic weapon into the sand around him.

Emirates' authorities have previously confirmed the man in the videotape was Issa. During the trial, Issa's lawyer never denied that it was his client on the tape.

The defense also argued that the 40-year-old sheik was not responsible for his actions at the time because he was left disoriented and impaired by a combination of drugs, including medicine for heart and back conditions.

Issa's lawyers submitted a list of drugs the sheik was taking. The list was never made public, but in December a forensic expert, called by the defense, told the court the mix of drugs Issa had consumed could cause "anger, suicidal tendencies, depression, aggression and loss of memory."

(...)

Samer Muscati, a UAE researcher with the New York-based Human Rights Watch, said the verdict was shocking given the severity of the beating shown on the videotape.

"Although Sheik Issa's prosecution is a positive step, a different verdict was expected," he said. (...)»

Em suma: plutocracia, nepotismo, concentração de poderes, a negação da democracia. Seja como for, o xeque deve ter aprendido uma lição: não filmar as suas actividades de diversão. Via Tundra Tabloids, onde se pode ver o video de uma outra reportagem sobre a mesma matéria.