A Bahraini court rejected on Monday the final appeal by nine medics who were earlier convicted for the “crime” of treating injured protesters last year.

A Bahraini court rejected on Monday the final appeal by nine medics who were earlier convicted for the “crime” of treating injured protesters last year.

Bahrain’s highest court upheld the jail terms of the medics who were part of a group of 20 doctors and nurses who worked at Manama's Salmaniya Medical Complex.
"The court of cassation... has rejected the appeals and upheld the previous court's convictions and sentences of the nine accused," said a government statement citing deputy attorney general Abdulrahman al-Sayyed.

Nine medics were acquitted of all charges by a lower appeals court in June and two remain at large.
The remaining nine appealed their convictions in the court which according to the statement, upheld all their sentences, with consultant orthopedic surgeon Ali Alekri getting the longest sentence of five years in jail.

Dr Alekri was found guilty of "possession and concealment of white weaponry (non-firearms) to serve a terrorist purpose, and for illegal assembly," said the statement.

Ibrahim Damastani, a senior nurse who received a three-year jail term, was found guilty of "possession of a white weapon and illegal assembly."
The remaining seven medics, who were convicted of lesser crimes, including illegal assembly and inciting hatred, were handed jail sentences of between one month and one year.

This was the final verdict and no other appeals can be heard. All nine medics have been free on bail since September last year.