Court replaces jail sentence with community service for two Bahrainis

TDT | Manama

Two Bahraini men, who were jailed in 2018 for burning tyres on one of the main roads in Sitra during national day celebrations, will continue the remaining period of their punishment in community service. This came as the First Supreme Criminal Court of Appeal ruled yesterday to reduce the previously issued sentence of three years of imprisonment against both defendants to one year of community service.

The two men were among a group of six defendants who were each sentenced in 2018 to the three-year jail terms. According to the results of investigations of the Public Prosecution back then, the six defendants were charged with possession of Molotov cocktails, participating in an illegal gathering and disturbing public security.

It was shown in the details of the case that the men gathered on Avenue One in Sitra on December 16, 2018, simultaneously with the Kingdom’s annual national day celebrations, and placed five tyres on the road before setting them on fire. Additionally, when the Public Security forces reached the scene, the defendants, along with other unknown accomplices, hurled Molotov cocktails at the forces before fleeing.

Police investigations led to the identification and arrest of a couple of the culprits, who confessed to their crimes in the interrogation and led the police to the other four defendants involved. Police succeeded in arresting two more defendants, while two others remained at large. The court sentenced four of the defendants in praesentia, while the other two received the same punishment in absentia.