Bahrain Mirror: The Supreme Court of Appeals presided over by judge Mohammad bin Ali Al Khalifa and secretariat of Naji Abdullah commuted the life-term sentences of 7 appellants to 15 years only and commuted the 10-year jail of others to 7 years over "Saraya Al-Ashtar" case. The court, however, upheld revocation of the defendants' nationalities and the fines imposed on them.

The Fourth High Criminal Court sentenced 10 defendants to life imprisonment. The court also sentenced 2 others to 10 years in prison, revoked the citizenships of 12 defendants and acquitted two. The court fined the defendants 10,983 BD and 700 fils for the damages caused to the police vehicles. Meanwhile, it acquitted two suspects of the charges raised against them.

The Public Prosecution claims that it received a notice from the Anti-terrorist Crime Prosecution stating that it seized a terrorist group of 14 members. Following a comprehensive investigation, the Public Prosecution has charged fourteen suspects, two of which are believed to be taking refuge in Iran, with establishing and running a terrorist organization in the Kingdom. Members of the Saraya Al-Ashtar group are accused of receiving weapons and explosives training in Iraq and carrying out terror attacks in Bahrain using high-grade explosives, resulting in the death and injury of several policemen and innocent civilians. Additional charges include attempted murder, rioting, possessing bomb-making materials, and the destruction of property. The terrorist group is accused of carrying out several bomb attacks between 2013 and 2015, with blasts occurring in Sanabis, Daih, Shakhoora, Maqsha, Diraz, Hamad Town and a shopping mall. The Chief of Anti-terrorist Crime Prosecution said investigations indicate that the two fugitives thought to be in Iran recruited Bahraini members with the explicit aim of using violence to carry out atrocities and invoke fear in Bahrain. They are also accused of facilitating members' travel to Iraq where they received explosives training to be used against security personnel.

The prosecution claims that it relied on hearsay evidence of the attesting witnesses and testimonies of suspects and referred 10 of the suspects arrested to the high criminal court and ordered the arrest of the fugitives. The court hearings were held in the presence of the suspects' lawyers, enabled them to present plea and provided them with all the legal guarantees.

Arabic Version