Bahrain Mirror: The Bahraini High Criminal Court (Appeals) upheld the sentence to expel Sheikh Mohammad Khojasteh, the Bahraini Shiite cleric and member of Ulama Islamic Council, whose nationality had been revoked.

Khojasteh was one of the 72 citizens who were stripped of their citizenships on the onset of 2015, most of whom were dissent.

The media manager of Bahrain Forum for Human Rights (BFHR), Baqer Darwish, said that the judiciary took a very surprising step through issuing the verdict in the hearing on Thursday (February 18, 2016) that was set for pleading.

"The Public Prosecution got a royal decree and administrative sentence," he added, noting that Khojasteh's lawyer entered his plea. The hearing or issuance of the verdict were supposed to be adjourned, yet the lawyer was surprised when the judge issued his verdict upholding the sentence of court of first instance.

Arabic Issue