Bahrain Mirror: Bahrain's ninth minor criminal court, presided over by judge Hussain Al-Shaikh and Mohammad Al-Harban as secretariat, held the first hearing of Sheikh Hamza Al-Dairy's trial, over charges of participating in open sit-in held outside Ayatollah Isa Qassim's house.

The court scheduled August 29, 2016 for the court hearing for further study of the case.

Lawyer Youssef Rabie' had attended the session representing Sheikh Al-Dairy who did not attend, and requested copies of the case files and more time to look into the case and prepare the defense's response.

The Bahraini authorities had summoned on Thursday (June 23, 2016) 5 Shia clerics: Sheikh Mahmoud Al-A'ali, Sheikh Fadel Al-Zaki, Sheikh Monir Maatouq, Sheikh Hamza Al-Dairy, Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Safa, as well as religious reciters Mahdi Sahwan and Jaafar Al-Qasha'my.

Al-Dairy faces charges of "inciting hatred against the ruling system, joining among others a public assembly of more than five people and participating in an unannounced gathering."

The authorities also accuse Al-Dairy of inciting hatred against the regime in a speech delivered to protestors in a rally held outside Sheikh Isa Qassim's house.

Arabic Version