Bahrain Mirror: The Bahraini High Appeals Court commuted the sentence issued against 4 appellants from 10 to 7 years in prison and upheld a 3-year jail term against a defendant over assembling and attacking a policeman in Diraz.

The court of first instance had sentenced 10 defendants to 10 years in prison over assembling and attacking a policeman in Diraz. The court also sentenced two suspects under 18 years of age to 3 years in prison over the same case.

The public prosecution accused the suspects of assaulting the bodily integrity of the victim (policeman), while he was performing his duty, for a terrorist purpose as well as taking part in an assembly of more than 5 people, aiming at disturbing public peace and endangering people's lives and properties. The prosecution also accused them of acquiring Molotov cocktails.

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