Bahrain Mirror: The Bahraini Court of Cassation upheld on Monday (January 29, 2018) the death sentence issued against Maher Al-Khabbaz in the case of the Sehla policeman murder.

This issued court verdict is deemed final and irrevocable. Death penalties; however, can only be executed with the King's approval.

Al-Khabbaz has previously confirmed that he and his co-defendants were tortured to make false confessions incriminating and involving them in the killing of Pakistani policeman Mohammed Assef, but the court refused to take his statement into account.

The defendants in the case are 9, four of whom are Maher, Fadel, Mohammed and Murtada Al-Khabbaz, along with Isa and Ibrahim Shabib, Falah and Fuad Fadl and Khalil Al-Qassab.

Bahrain faces pressures from the human rights community to stop additional executions of opponents of the regime, following the execution of three dissidents on January 15 last year.

Arabic Version