The court was scheduled to hand down the ruling on Monday but now says it will deliver it on April 30. The decision comes after weeks of protest rallies against the controversial Formula One race in the kingdom.
The activists arrested in last year's anti-regime protests are convicted of plotting to topple the Manama regime. Prominent human rights campaigner Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is one of them.
The activist has been on hunger strike for more than two months now. He has been given a life sentence over his role in anti-regime demonstrations.
What follows is the transcription of an interview with Hisham Jaber, director of Center for Middle East Studies from Beirut, regarding the issue.
Q: What is your opinion on the case against these 21 Bahraini protesters, among them Abdulhadi al-Khawaja?
Jaber: First of all, we have to clarify the very important point that there is Formula 1, which was the matter of controversy, is over now. But the game is not over yet in Bahrain. The revolution did not stop and it will not. Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is a person who represents the opposition in Bahrain.
He made his protest peacefully and in peace and he is in strike of hunger for many weeks, as you know, and he is still in jail and instead of liberating him to show the whole world that they are respecting the human rights in Bahrain, they are still keeping him in jail and also many of the leadership opposition have been given sentence on life and they are arrested in the jail for no crime but they are asking for legal demands, equality, democracy, human rights, etc.
The king of Bahrain gave his own commitment yesterday that he will make reform. This is good news but the question is what about one year of peaceful protest and what are the reforms which have been given to 70 percent of the population in Bahrain who are away from taking any position in the power in Bahrain. That is the question now.
The hunger of Mr. Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, the arrest of Mr. Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is very important and we start to hear the mass media which was mute for a long time talking about him.
Also we found yesterday the body of Saleh Habib who is a martyr who did protest against Formula 1; we found the body and many people in Bahrain believe that he was killed by the police.
That is the situation now in Bahrain, waiting for the reform based on the promise of the king. And I think there is a lack of trust now in Bahrain because the people who are always peaceful in their demonstrations.
It is believed that there is a peaceful resolution that may come from the regime and they ask for their legal request under the ceiling of the kingdom of Bahrain. Now they start after this lack of trust to ask to change the whole regime.
Is this convenient for the kingdom of Bahrain? I do not think so. What I do believe is that there are two wings in Bahrain. One is moderate representing the king and his son and the other which is very extremist and did not want any reform [and is] represented by the prime minister of Bahrain.
source : http://abna.ir
