Military courts and the trial of civilians in Bahrein

Human Rights First has published this commentary by Marie Soueid about the use of military "national safety courts" to try civilians in Bahrein. The author notes that these courts fit into none of the recognized categories of permissible uses of military courts to try civilians, adding:

Of the charges leveled against the defendants, none concerned military crimes. Hassan Mushaima, leader of the Al Haq opposition movement, for example, was charged with advocating “marches, demonstrations and civil disobedience” to call for the “establishment of a democratic republic.” Another defendant, Ibrahim Sharif, was sentenced to five years for “encouraging assemblies, demonstrations, and sit-ins and “discuss[ing] the demand for a republic.”

Bahrein's military judiciary recently hosted a visit by Saudi Arabian officials. According to a Bahrein New Agency report,

This visit is in line with the cooperation's framework between BDF [Bahrein Defence Force] and Saudi Arabian Armed Forces in the judiciary sector. It aims to increase areas of bilateral cooperation and to be informed about workflow in Bahrain's Military Judiciary, especially the Military Court of Cassation and Electronic Military Judiciary Programme.