7 Bahraini police face trial over torture of medics

Bahrain’s public prosecution has charged seven police officers over the torture and maltreatment of Shia medics detained in the aftermath of nationwide protests last year, authorities said yesterday. The two defendants facing the “most serious” charges have been referred to the High Criminal Court over the “use of torture and threats against six medic detainees, for the purpose of forcing a confession”, said a government statement. It said all coerced confessions were dismissed during the trial of the medics. The rest of the officers would appear in the Lower Criminal Court, it said. The seven officers are lieutenants at the interior ministry. Ten other officers accused of mistreatment were being questioned, it said. The hearing is scheduled for October 1. Bahrain’s appeals court acquitted in June nine medics and cut the jail terms of nine others on Thursday for their role in anti-regime protests last year. Two others remain at large. The 20 doctors and nurses worked at Manama’s Salmaniya Medical complex, stormed by security forces after a crackdown on a protest encampment at the capital’s nearby Pearl Square in March 2011.  Nine of the medics were found not guilty, five were to be freed for time served, while four that were convicted still had their right for appeal, authorities said at the time. (gulf times)