Bahraini Top Cleric Congratulates Freedom of Sheikh Zakzaky
Sheikh Qassim, in his message, hailed Sheikh Zakzaky’s patience and Jihad that disgraced the oppressors.
He also appreciated the efforts of all of those who helped to secure their release.
Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife, Mallimah Zeenat, were released from detention last week after a court in Nigeria’s central state of Kaduna acquitted them of all the charges levelled against the duo.
Zakzaky and his wife, Mallimah Zeenat, were standing trial in the court on an eight-count charge of alleged culpable homicide, disruption of public peace and unlawful assembly among others levelled against them by the Kaduna state government.
They had pleaded not guilty.
Meanwhile, a prominent Nigerian lawyer and human rights activist has revealed that the Kaduna state government has hastily filed a new charge against Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife in a desperate move to block their release.
Femi Falana, who led Sheikh Zakzaky’s defense team, said in a Sunday statement that contrary to reports that a new charge of terrorism and treasonable felony was filed after the Kaduna State High Court ordered the release of the elderly couple, it had been “hurriedly filed” on July 26 – two days prior to the ruling -- in a desperate bid by the Kaduna state government to “frustrate the release of the defendants from further incarceration.”
“In other words, the new charge was maliciously filed when the Kaduna state government anticipated that the ruling fixed for July 28 in respect to our no-case submission would succeed,” Falana was quoted by local media.
The lawyer further underlined that as soon as the new charge was filed, “the bailiff of the federal high court was commanded to rush to the Kaduna correctional center to serve same on the defendants.”
“But the defendants refused to accept service of the charge and directed the bailiff to serve it on them through their Counsel. But for reasons best known to the Kaduna state government, the charge was not served on the defense counsel,” Falana noted.
