(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - A Bahraini court sentenced a US Shia citizen of Arab origin to 10 years in prison Tuesday for participating in an anti-government protest against al-Khalifa discrimination last year, his lawyer said.
Taqi al-Meydan, 25, was also convicted of burning a police vehicle, said Mohamed al-Jishi.
Taqi Al-Maidan was arrested without being shown a warrant on October 7th, 2012 from his home during an early morning house raid conducted by masked members of the security forces in civilian clothing. His mother stated that "They didn't know what he was wanted for."
He was subjected to enforced disappearance for approximately twenty four hours, according to his family. Al-Maidan was interrogated without the presence of a lawyer, beaten and forced to stand on one leg for four hours, and reportedly threatened with rape and the rape of his mother if he did not sign a confession stating that he participated in the burning of a police vehicle.
"After four hours of interrogation I confessed to everything, I signed papers even though I had no idea what had been written on them," Maidan told Reuters through his family. "Out of fear of more beatings, I urinated on myself, and they forced me after signing to speak in front of a camera after making me memorize what to say."
The court also jailed two other defendants for 10 years on similar charges.
Meydan was arrested in October 2012 during a demonstration in a Shiite village near Manama and pleaded innocent to the charges, Jishi said.
He will appeal the verdict, which the lawyer said was "unexpected because the evidence against him is very weak."
Meydan, born in 1988 in the United States to a Saudi father and Bahraini mother, moved to Bahrain after completing his education in the United States.
The Shiite opposition is calling for a mass demonstration on Friday, following the arrest last week of former opposition MP Khalil Marzooq, accused illegally."
Shiite demonstrators have kept up protests despite a March 2011 crackdown that sparked repeated clashes with security forces.
At least 113 people have been killed since protests erupted two years ago, according to the International Federation for Human Rights.
Strategically located across the Persian Gulf, Bahrain is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet and is an offshore financial and services centre for its oil-rich Arab neighbours in the Gulf.
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Taqi al-Meydan, 25, was also convicted of burning a police vehicle, said Mohamed al-Jishi.
Taqi Al-Maidan was arrested without being shown a warrant on October 7th, 2012 from his home during an early morning house raid conducted by masked members of the security forces in civilian clothing. His mother stated that "They didn't know what he was wanted for."
He was subjected to enforced disappearance for approximately twenty four hours, according to his family. Al-Maidan was interrogated without the presence of a lawyer, beaten and forced to stand on one leg for four hours, and reportedly threatened with rape and the rape of his mother if he did not sign a confession stating that he participated in the burning of a police vehicle.
"After four hours of interrogation I confessed to everything, I signed papers even though I had no idea what had been written on them," Maidan told Reuters through his family. "Out of fear of more beatings, I urinated on myself, and they forced me after signing to speak in front of a camera after making me memorize what to say."
The court also jailed two other defendants for 10 years on similar charges.
Meydan was arrested in October 2012 during a demonstration in a Shiite village near Manama and pleaded innocent to the charges, Jishi said.
He will appeal the verdict, which the lawyer said was "unexpected because the evidence against him is very weak."
Meydan, born in 1988 in the United States to a Saudi father and Bahraini mother, moved to Bahrain after completing his education in the United States.
The Shiite opposition is calling for a mass demonstration on Friday, following the arrest last week of former opposition MP Khalil Marzooq, accused illegally."
Shiite demonstrators have kept up protests despite a March 2011 crackdown that sparked repeated clashes with security forces.
At least 113 people have been killed since protests erupted two years ago, according to the International Federation for Human Rights.
Strategically located across the Persian Gulf, Bahrain is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet and is an offshore financial and services centre for its oil-rich Arab neighbours in the Gulf.
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