Forty-eight doctors, nurses and other medical staff appeared in court for the first time in connection with the illegal occupation of Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) by protesters between February and March.

Twenty of them are charged with possessing unlicensed weapons, colonising the hospital, inciting others to overthrow the regime and stealing medical equipment.

The remaining 28 are accused of spreading false news and lying about the medical conditions of some patients.

All 48 are standing trial in the Court of National Safety, which yesterday refused a bail request on behalf of all defendants.

The court also refused a request to release the 28 medical personnel facing less serious charges of disseminating false information.

Prosecutors objected to releasing the accused, saying all 48 should stand trial for their alleged actions at the hospital, which descended into chaos during the height of the crisis in Bahrain.

The 28 had initially been questioned while Bahrain was under a State of National Safety, but were summoned to the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID) on Sunday.

Judges adjourned the trial until next Monday for defence lawyers to review evidence against their clients.

Some lawyers had sought a later date for the next hearing, since they are representing several defendants.

However, the court rejected their request.

It also ordered police to ensure prisoners are brought before judges in proper clothes, preferably a prison uniform, after most defendants showed up yesterday in pyjamas and other nightclothes.

Officers were instructed to contact the detainees' families to arrange the delivery of clothes to them in prison.

Our sister newspaper Gulf Daily News (GDN) was present at yesterday's hearing along with representatives of Bahrain human rights organisations, local media and relatives of the defendants.

The last two are still at large and are being tried in absentia.

Meanwhile, Al Shehab did not attend yesterday's hearing.

The GDN has previously reported that security forces found machine-guns after evicting protesters from SMC on March 16, according to acting Health Minister Dr Fatima Al Balooshi.

Authorities said two Bahrainis actually died because SMC medical staff made their injuries worse for camera crews, while ambulances were used as taxis for protesters.

Medical staff allegedly administered drugs to induce symptoms in patients making it appear they had been attacked with nerve gas, denied medical services to certain people and illegally detained other health personnel and patients, among other things.-TradeArabia News Service