Bahrain Mirror- Exclusive: The British Daily Mail newspaper said that Bahrain has referred its first civilian case to a military court following a constitutional amendment approved by the king last month, according to Amnesty International.

The newspaper reported the Agence France-Presse agency that stated that public prosecutors have transferred the case against Fadhel Radhi, who was arrested in September 2016 and has been held incommunicado since, to a military court, according to a statement by the London-based rights group.

The lawyer for Radhi, a Bahraini national, has no information on the charges his client faces, Amnesty said.

Radhi is the first civilian reported to be referred to military justice since the king on April 3 formally approved a constitutional amendment granting military courts the right to try civilians. The amendment drops a clause that had limited military trials to army and security personnel. It was approved by Bahrain's upper house of parliament, which is appointed by the king, as well as by the elected lower house.

"This is a shameful move by the authorities designed to strike fear in the heart of the population," said Samah Hadid of Amnesty's Beirut regional office.

She added: "It is also a serious blow for justice in Bahrain... Trying civilians before military courts is contrary to international standards."

Amnesty said repeated requests for information about Radhi's location and condition had gone unanswered by Bahrain's Public Prosecution Office. But the Public Prosecution Office contacted Radhi's family early Tuesday to inform them his case had been transferred to a military court, the rights group said.

Amnesty added it feared Al-Sayed Al-Alawi, held incommunicado since October, would be the next to face military justice, without elaborating.

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