Court of Appeals issues nine-year sentence

Manama, May 30 (BNA): Advocate General Haroon Al Zayani state that the First High Court of Appeal today issued its verdict in the case of the appeals by the Public Prosecution and the secretary-general of a political society. The two sides had appealed a verdict issued last year against the defendant who was implicated in the crimes of promoting forceful change of the political regime and threatening to use illegal means, inciting publicly the hatred of a sect of people to stir turmoil, inciting disobedience, publicly demeaning law enforcement agencies and their personnel as "mercenaries", and alleging that some of these personnel are affiliated to terrorist organisations. The court accepted the appeals of the Prosecution and the defence attorney in form, but rejected the appeal of the Defence and accepted the appeal of the Public Prosecution in form. The court sentenced the defendant to seven years in prison in the first, second and third charges, and upheld the two-year sentence on account of the fourth charge. The Prosecution had charged the suspect with committing these crimes based on evidence from investigations into his acts of promoting forceful regime change and threatening to use unlawful means. He was in the habit of such incitement and promoted in his speeches on various occasions, including extremist calls in which he justified acts of violence and sabotage, provoking regime change and calling for Jihad as a form of religious duty. He escalated such incriminated practices and he repeatedly threatened to use military force, and publicly expressed that the military option was and still open. He expected that resorting to such a choice might be made at any time in a manner that is similar to the actions committed by some factions and sects abroad. He also requested superpowers to intervene in the Bahraini affairs in order to support him to change the constitutional regime, alleging that this would achieve their interests. As part of its investigations, the Prosecution listened to recordings including his public speeches. It questioned him in the presence of his defence attorney and confronted him with the recorded content of his public speeches and addresses The charges included his explicit call to violating the provisions of the law regarding the preset routes of demonstrations. He urged the so-called "scholars council" to continue carrying out its activity regardless of the court ruling issued to dissolve the council. He also publicly incited against naturalised Bahraini citizens, dismissed their loyalty to the nation and branded them as "mercenaries". He alleged that they have usurped the share from the original citizens in the country's wealth and services. He said they could commit acts of terrorism. He hinted to the possibility of deportation of naturalized citizens from the country in "death coffins". Moreover, he said the "opposition was offered to adopt the method of the Syrian opposition and to transform the country into a military battleground." He explained that during his presence abroad that he met some groups that expressed their readiness to support the so-called "Bahrain Movement" and to supply him with weaponry. The suspect admitted when faced during the investigation that he had delivered all these public speeches included in the investigations in the same wording. The Prosecution referred him to the court which considered the case during its public hearings in the presence of the suspect and his team of defence attorneys. The court listened during its sessions to the prosecution and defence witnesses. The court enabled the suspect's attending defence attorneys from the first session to receive full copies of the reports attached to the case. The court ordered the preparation of full papers of the cases and its enclosures and delivering them to the suspect in person whose defence attorneys were able to present their whole defence argument. The court heard the defence attorneys' argument and then decided to retain the case for a ruling on today's session hence issued its foregoing sentence. The Bahraini judicial system allows the suspect to object to the issued ruling before the Court of Cassation within the period prescribed by law should there be legal reasoning to impugn, which is one of the legal sureties provided to any suspect.