BNA quoted Attorney General Abdul-Rahman Al-Sayed as saying that Bahrain's Court of Cassation has rejected all appeals presented by the defendants and confirmed the previous verdicts of prison terms of up to five years.

 

In June, the appeals court gave Ali al-Ekry, former senior medic at the Salmaniya hospital in Manama, a five-year sentence and eight others were handed jail terms ranging from one month to three years. It also acquitted nine others.

 

Two medics previously sentenced to 15 years each did not appeal and they are believed to be in hiding or to have left the country.

 

"Convictions and sentences carried by this ruling relates to five charges only as stated in the referral order, which consists of 14 counts, namely promoting the change of the political regime by force and through illegal means, illegal detention of persons, instigating sectarian hatred, destruction of public property, calling for, organizing and participating in illegal demonstrations," the report said.

 

It also said none of the accused was tried or sentenced for any crime related to their practice of medical profession, although the court found in its ruling that the accused failed to fulfill their job duties and professional standards, and recommended that they be held accountable administratively, not criminally. - Reuters and TradeArabia News Service