Bahrain’s High Criminal Court sentenced on Monday 12 people to ten years in jail for “supporting and endorsing Iran's terrorist attacks against the kingdom”. They were also accused of “obtaining and disseminating prohibited sensitive data, capturing images of restricted sites, and spreading false news and rumors through social media platforms during the Iranian aggression against the kingdom,” reported Bahrain’s state news agency BNA. The court also imposed fines of BD2,000 on some of the accused and ordered the confiscation of seized materials. “The Public Prosecution had received several reports from the Cyber Crime Directorate regarding social media accounts containing images, videos and comments expressing support for the Iranian terrorist attacks targeting Bahrain”, added the report. The content also included the publication of sensitive data, the capturing images of restricted sites, and the dissemination of false news and rumors “intended to undermine public morale, spread panic among the public, and harm public security during the Iranian aggression against the kingdom”. Investigations led to the identification of the individuals behind the accounts. Upon receiving the reports, the Public Prosecution immediately launched investigations, questioning the defendants, hearing witness testimony, and assigning technical experts to examine the seized digital devices. The examinations confirmed the defendants' involvement in the offences attributed to them. Accordingly, the Public Prosecution referred the defendants to the High Criminal Court. The cases were heard over several sessions during which all legal guarantees were observed, including the attendance of defense counsel and the defendants' right to present their defense, culminating in the issuance of Monday’s rulings.
