Bahrain Mirror: The Supreme Appeals Court presided over by judge Mohammad bin Ali Al Khalifa and Naji Abdullah as a secretariat modified the sentence issued against 7 appellants and upheld a verdict issued against others over attempted murder of 3 policemen, assembly, arson as well as Molotov procession.

The court commuted the 15-year jail term issued against 5 appellants to 10 years and reduced the sentence issued against others from 7 to 5 years in jail. Meanwhile, it upheld a 15-year jail term issued against an appellant and a 3-year jail verdict against another one.

The high criminal court had sentenced on (June 28, 2016) 8 suspects to 15 years in prison over attempted murder of 3 policemen, assembly, arson as well as Molotov procession in Isa Al-Kabeer Street. It had also handed down 7-year jail term to two and 3-year jail term to the tenth suspect, fined him 500 BD and ordered the confiscation of seized items.

The Public Prosecution accused the suspects of attempting, along with other unknowns, on February 7, 2015, to deliberately kill a corporal and vice corporal. The suspects burnt tires, waited for the victims to arrive and hurled Molotov against them, aiming at killing them. The suspects caused the victims the injuries stated in the forensic report.

It also accused them of setting fire, along with other unknowns, to movable assets, damaging, along with other unknowns, vehicle owned by the ministry of interior, taking part in an assembly of more than 5 persons and acquiring Molotov.

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 protesters and activists.

Arabic Version