Bahrain should drop cases against doctors and leaders of last year’s protest movement because of unfair and politically motivated trials, and Western countries should suspend military sales, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday.
The New York-based group said the trials in civilian courts were flawed as they were when they began in military courts last year after the Gulf Arab state imposed martial law to crush pro-democracy protests led by majority Shi’ite Muslims.
The government said in October that all the military cases, which had provoked international criticism amid allegations of torture, would be transferred to ordinary courts.
"Grossly unfair military and civilian trials have been a core element in Bahrain’s crackdown on pro-democracy protests," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at HRW.
