The Military High Court today issued its ruling in the case of 18 members of a terrorist cell, ten of whom appeared in custody and eight were fugitives in Bahrain or abroad in Iran and Iraq, according to Bahrain News Agency. The defendants were accused with the formation of a terrorist cell, attempting to assassinate the BDF Commander-in-Chief and committing other terrorist crimes. The court convicted and sentenced the six defendants to capital punishment, 15 years years in jail and the revocation of their Bahraini nationality. The court also convicted and sentenced seven defendants to seven years in jail and stripped them of their Bahraini nationality. The court acquitted five defendants. All the judicial sureties weregranted by the Military Judiciary in compliance with the 2002 Criminal Procedures Law and the 2002 Military Judiciary Law , including access to defence lawyers. The defendants have the right to challenge the ruling of the court of first instance at the Military Appeals High Court and the Military Court of Cassation according to the provisions of the law. Representatives of human rights institutions and societies and media and several relatives of the defendants attended the court session.
