Bahraini upper house passes military courts amendment to constitution

The upper house of the Bahrain Parliament has approved a constitutional amendment that would revive the power of military courts to prosecute civilians. Details here. Excerpt:

In the wake of the [2011] protests, military courts tried hundreds of defendants. A government-appointed investigation after the protests criticized the use of the courts, saying they were employed "to punish those in the opposition" and raised "a number of concerns about their conformity with international human rights law." 

"This came from the Bahraini king and for him to sign off on this amendment means that he is personally approving the new repressive measure and all the consequences it will have," Sayed Alwadaei, the director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said in a statement. "The responsibility for this de facto martial law lies at his feet."