Three sentenced for anti-national activities

The Fourth High Criminal Court has sentenced three Bahraini men for their involvement in the distribution of leaflets calling for civil disobedience, forcing shopkeepers to close their shops and resisting arrest in Malkiya village last year. One of the defendants was sentenced to six months imprisonment for resisting arrest while two got two months for possessing the leaflets. Two others were acquitted by the court.

Court files show that the suspects apparently intimidated and forced commercial shops owners and workers in Malkiya village near Hamad Town to shut down their shops on February 14 as part of a so-called “disobedience”. The details of the case show that Hamad Town Police was notified about the defendants distributing leaflets issued in different languages by “February 14 Coalition”, which is a terrorist group responsible for numerous deadly attacks in Bahrain.

The defendants were attempting to force commercial shop workers in the village to shut their doors throughout the day. When a team of police force arrived at the spot, the defendants tried to resist them and two of them were arrested while others fled the scene. The arrestees were referred to the Public Prosecution, where they confessed to their crime. The defendants told the interrogators that they had agreed on the previous day to force shopkeepers to shut down their shops on February 14 last year and to prevent students from going to schools on the same day.

Despite that the leaflets they distributed were issued by February 14 Coalition, the defendants denied in the interrogation that they had any relation with the notorious terrorist group. The Public Prosecution accused them of assaulting on-duty policemen while resisting arrest and causing the injuries mentioned in the official coroner’s report, in addition to possessing publications that promote the change of the regime.