Bahrain Mirror: A Bahraini Court of Appeal upheld a first tier verdict, sentencing in absentia two appellants to 3 years in prison, over charges of assembling and possessing Molotov bombs in the town of Bani Jamra.

The first tier court had convicted two defendants of burning tires in the town of Bani Jamra. The whole incident occurred when a report mentioned that 3 tires were set ablaze near the town of Bani Jamra, causing disruption of traffic. The police investigations resulted in the arrest of the first suspect after the Public Prosecution gave permission. The suspect confessed to the accusations, and also gave out the identity of the second suspect.

The Public Prosecution indicated that on February 16, 2015, the defendants, along with other unknown suspects, deliberately set fire to vehicles, thus endangering people's lives, according to what is detailed in the court papers.

Also, the documents claimed that the defendants, along with more than 5 other individuals, gathered in order to disrupt public security, endangering people's lives and transportation vehicles.

Since 2012, riot cases that go under the demonstrations and riot section of the penal code were adapted to apply to the terrorism law, if there were "terrorist" purposes behind them, such as attempted murder of a police officer, violating the provisions of law and endangering the lives of people and their properties, within the regime's framework of harshening penalties against protestors and activists.

Arabic Version