Bahrain Mirror: The High Criminal Court in Bahrain sentenced in absentia a defendant to 15 years in prison over the alleged "Adliya bomb blast".

The court of first instance had sentenced 4 suspects (two at large) to 15 years in prison after convicting them of attempted murder in what was known as the "Adliya bombing" case.

During the past hearing, an officer (the plaintiff) gave a statement, in which he said that while he was on his way to work, he heard an explosion on the street that he just passed, so he turned back and saw a street sweeper injured lying on the floor.

The defense lawyers insisted on requesting to summon the explosives expert and the secret sources through which the authorities identified the suspects.

The prosecution accused the defendants of forming a terrorist group, attempted murder, detonating and having possession of explosives.

The authorities allege that in November 2012, the main suspect in the case formed a terrorist group which the remaining suspects joined, adding that they planted two homemade bombs in the Adliya area. The authorities claim that one of the bombs went off near a trash container leaving a street cleaner injured.

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