Bahrain Mirror: Bahrain's First High Criminal Court presided over by judge Hamad bin Salman Al Khalifa with the membership of the judges Dia' Huraidi and Issam-Eldeen Mohammad Khalil and Naji Abdullah as secretariat, sentenced 23 suspects to 10 years in prison over charges of starting fire, causing damage, joining an assembly and having possession of Molotov cocktails, while declared the fifth suspect not guilty of carrying a knife without a license.

The Public Prosecution accused the suspects of:

First: Starting a fire, intentionally, in a movable property, which is an armed vehicle owned by the Ministry of Interior endangering people's lives and properties for a terrorist purpose.

Second: Damaging public properties, the vehicle owned by the Ministry of Interior with the intention of causing terror and chaos among the people for a terrorist purpose.

Third: Participating with unknown others in an assembly of more than 5 persons, to commit crimes and disrupt public security, using violence to achieve the purpose they gathered for.

Fourth: Having possession, along with unknown others, of Molotov cocktails aiming to use them to endanger people's lives and properties.

It also accused the fifth suspect of possessing a knife of a specific type and description in the report attached to the record without obtaining a license from the Interior Minister.

The authorities claimed that around 50 persons gathered near Bani Jamra graveyard in possession of Molotov cocktails and assaulted the security patrols.

Since 2012, the known riot cases which are listed under the riot act have been amended to apply to the terrorism act, as new terrorist aims and pretexts have been attributed to these cases, such as the attempted murder of policemen, breaching the provisions of law and putting people's lives and properties in danger, in order to harshen the sentences issued against protesters and activists.

Arabic Issue