SHOCKING DEVELOPMENTS IN RIFQA BARY CASE

The case involving a young woman who fled her Muslim parents last year is taking a very interesting turn indeed. On the day Rifqa Bary turns 18 - a day that couldn't arrive fast enough for her - she may be breathing a sigh of relief as her father, Mohamed may end up on the hot seat while also adding heaps of credibility to his daughter's claims that if she were ordered returned to her parents, she would be killed.

Jawa is reporting on a very serious charge of witness intimidation, courtesy of Mohamed, court documents show:

According to those court documents, some still under court seal, Mohamed Bary threatened Rifqa's counselor, Jennifer Dorn, through his own court-appointed counselor, saying that "bad things happen to people who testify". As a result, Dorn steadfastly refuse to testify on Rifqa's behalf in court last week in fear for her life as a magistrate considered whether to keep her in state custody until her 18th birthday tomorrow.

There appears to be an issue with the Franklin County prosecutor, however. Ron O'Brien is allegedly refusing to charge the elder Bary because "it would reflect negatively on the Muslim community" according to a source Jawa claims to have inside the Prosecutor's office.

Bolstering the credibility of Jawa's claims is the timing of O'Brien's office apparent change of course, saying that the reason they're not yet charging Bary is because it's a matter left to a police agency that needs to file a report that would prompt an investigation. Such an explanation is so absurd on its face but is made even more so when you consider, as Jawa reminds us, that O'Brien was quick to prosecute one of Rifqa's attorneys for making a mistake in filing a court document.

I think it's safe to say that young - now 18 - Rifqa Bary has more guts than the Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien.

Jawa has posted contact information for O'Brien's office.