A Bahraini court has ordered a retrial for 21 men convicted in a military court of leading last year's uprising, but said they would remain in jail until new verdicts are reached, the official news agency said on Monday.

Among those facing a new trial in a civilian court is Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja who has been on a hunger strike for over two months.      

"The court is (ordering) that the trial take place again and that testimony from prosecution and defence witnesses be heard once more as if it is a new trial," BNA said.

"Cassation Court rulings do not allow for releasing defendants as long as they were imprisoned when presented to the first trial," it added. 

Defence lawyer Mohammed Al-Jishi, who attended Monday's session, said the judge stated that the men would not be released.

Eight of the group were given life sentences, including Khawaja and opposition leaders Hassan Mushaimaa and Abdulwahhab Hussein by the military court. - Reuters