Bahrain Mirror: The King of Bahrain Hamad Bin Issa Al Khalifa appointed one of his family members as a judge to preside over the Court of Appeals which looked into the 4-year prison sentence issued against the opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman on Thursday (January 14, 2016).

The Al-Wefaq Secretary-General Sheikh Salman has called for shifting to a democratic rule and putting an end to the Al Khalifa family's monopoly over power.

The Bahraini Al-Lualua channel reported that judge Mohammad Bin Ali Al Khalifa is known for his harsh statements against opponents of the ruling family's autocracy.

He had issued sentences stripping 73 opponents of their citizenships, over political issues, including 56 persons in a single verdict.

Mohammad Bin Ali Al Khalifa has acquitted 5 members of the security forces of charges of torture practiced on detainees to extract coerced confessions. He also issued a verdict acquitting the murderer of martyr Salah Abbass who was killed by internationally banned shotgun pellets, in addition to the acquittal of Nora Al Khalifa of torture charges against journalist Naziha Saeed.

Arabic Issue