Bahrain Mirror: Bahrain's High Appeals Court sentenced a defendant, accused of attempting to murder policemen and acquiring explosives in Sitra, to 7 years in prison instead of 10.

The First Instance Court had handed down 13-year jail to a defendant and fined him 500 BD and 10-year jail term to 12 others and ordered the confiscation of seized items.

The Public Prosecution accused the suspects of attempting, along with others, to murder security men while performing their duties, taking part in an assembly of more than 5 persons aiming at disrupting public peace and endangering people's lives and public and private money as well as acquiring Molotov.

According to the authorities' claims, a group of protestors confronted the policemen in Sitra on August 6, 201 using Molotov, metal rods and fire extinguishers. As a result, a policeman was slightly injured in his back.

The authorities claim that they reached 55 persons through investigations and arrested some of them.

Human rights organizations challenge the charges raised against political detainees, 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