Bahrain Mirror: Bahrain's Fifth High Criminal Court, presided over by judge Abdullah Al-Ashraf with the memberships of judges Mohsen Mabrouk and Motaz Abu Al-Ezz and Abdullah Mohammad as secretariat, sentenced four suspects to 10 years in prison and two other to 7 years in prison, over charges of setting tires on fire in a roundabout near the Interior Ministry's building. Another suspect was; however, acquitted of the charges raised against him.

A filed report stated that 30 protestors set tires ablaze at a roundabout near the Interior Ministry building, blocked the road, headed to the building and hurled Molotov cocktails at police, causing material damages.

The Public Prosecution claimed that the suspects, on December 27, 2014, deliberately set tires on fire, alongside other unknown suspects, as well as Interior Ministry property, for a terrorist purpose. It further accused the defendants of assembling and using violence to achieve the purpose they gathered for, and having possession of Molotov cocktails.

Another suspect; however, stated before the prosecution that the incriminating confessions he made were taken under torture, so he was examined by a forensics doctor, who confirmed that he sustained recent injuries. Hence the court decided to acquit him.

Human rights organizations challenge the charges raised against the defendants, since they doubt the independence of the judiciary, whose members are assigned by royal decrees, and since it issues sentences based on confessions extracted under duress and evidence presented by secret investigations and anonymous witnesses.

Arabic Version