Manama: The Head of the Terrorism Crimes Prosecution announced that the High Criminal Court heard the case against a number of defendants charged with joining a terrorist organisation.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the organisation was established with the objective of suspending the provisions of the Constitution and the laws, preventing state institutions and authorities from carrying out their duties, harming national unity, and altering the Kingdom's constitutional system by promoting the ideology of Wilayat al Faqih, advocating complete allegiance to the Supreme Leader of Iran and subordination to its political authority.
The prosecution alleged that the organisation sought to achieve those objectives by attempting to control places of worship, maatams, and Husseiniyas (community centres) to disseminate their ideology, inciting opposition to the Kingdom's established system of governance and calling for its overthrow. They were also accused of promoting ideas hostile to the state, inciting terrorist acts, riots, sabotage, supporting practices aimed at destabilising the Kingdom, and collecting funds to support the organisation's activities.
The Public Prosecution charged 18 defendants, including 15 in custody and three fugitives. Investigations were reportedly conducted according to legal procedures, with defendants questioned in the presence of legal counsel for some and afforded all legal rights and guarantees. They were allowed to contact their families and were provided with healthcare while in detention, in line with the law governing the treatment of defendants and detainees.
The prosecution ensured defendants' right to legal representation by appointing defence lawyers, who appeared alongside lawyers retained by the defendants. The High Criminal Court heard the case while ensuring all guarantees of a fair and impartial trial, attended by a representative of the National Institution for Human Rights.
The court listened to the defendants and their lawyers, who presented their requests, and adjourned the case until July 20, 2026, to allow the defence to review the case file and visit the defendants in detention.
The Head of the Terrorism Crimes Prosecution emphasized that Bahrain's legal framework guarantees defendants' rights throughout arrest, investigation, and trial proceedings. He noted the law requires defendants to be treated with dignity upon arrest, informed of the reasons for their arrest, allowed to contact their families, and granted access to legal counsel. The Public Prosecution conducts criminal proceedings impartially and objectively, with no interest in securing convictions without legal basis or relying on evidence obtained through unlawful procedures.
He further noted that court proceedings comply fully with the Code of Criminal Procedure, ensuring all guarantees afforded to defendants, including the right to defend themselves, present their defence, and be represented by legal counsel. Judicial rulings are based on the court's conviction after establishing the legality of the proceedings, and the law also guarantees defendants the right to appeal judgments and decisions.