Bahrain Live Coverage: Will High-Profile Activists Receive Court Verdicts Today?

Sunday night's rally in Bilad AlQadeem in support of political prisoners

See also Bahrain Opinion: You Can Imprison the 13 Activists. You Cannot Imprison Their Ideas.
Tuesday's Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: At Least 250 Civilians Die on Monday

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1606 GMT: Zainab AlKhawaja's mother reports that her trial was adjourned again today, with a resumption on 10 September. Zainab is also in court tomorrow on separate charges.

The case of Ammar Ali Mansoor AlSawad (see 0535 GMT), along with 16 other boys accused of rioting and burning a police jeep, has been adjourned until 1 October.

1509 GMT: The BBC's Frank Gardner quotes a British minister as saying that the UK is "very disappointed" at today's verdict on the 13 political prisoners and has called for an urgent appeals process. This is a strong --- and rare --- public response from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, signaling a recognition that "reforms" in Bahrain are not going as its allies had planned.

UK Foreign Office Min says 'v disappointd at #Bahrain court upholding sentences vs 13 pol activists', calls for urgent appeals process. #FCO

— Frank Gardner (@FrankRGardner) September 4, 2012

1217 GMT: A member of the prosecutor's office has tried to justify the upholding of sentences on 20 activists, 13 of them serving lengthy terms behind bars, this morning: "It is established clearly to us from this verdict that some of the accused had relations and strived to have relations and intelligence contacts with a foreign organisation, which is Hezbollah, which works in the interests of Iran."

Six of the 20 men, seven of whom were tried in absentia, were found guilty of "intelligence contacts with foreign bodies". They are also imprisoned on charges of overturn the system of government and violating the constitution.

0904 GMT: The reaction of activist and economist Ala'a Shehabi to the upheld sentences against 20 political prisoners, 13 of them serving terms up to life in Bahrain:

Upholding sentences proves absolutely no difference betwn military justice & this so called 'civilian' justice.Same mentality rules #bahrain

— Dr Ala'a Shehabi (@alaashehabi) September 4, 2012

0853 GMT: A tale of two different stories about the same economic development....

Reuters headlines, "Bahrain Economy Shrinks in Second Quarter":

Bahrain's economic output fell in the second quarter of this year after moderate growth in the previous three months, data showed on Sunday, as political unrest continued to weigh on the small oil producer.

Gross domestic product, adjusted for inflation, dropped 1.3 percent quarter-on-quarter in April-June compared with 0.9 percent growth in the previous quarter, the figures from the Central Informatics Organisation showed.

The quarterly decline is the first since a 6.6 percent slump in the first three months of 2011.

However, the regime-linked Gulf Daily News proclaims, "Bahrain GDP Expands by 4.3 Per Cent":

Bahrain's economy has returned to a solid growth path after last year's unrest, Central Informatics Organisation (CIO) said yesterday.

On an annual basis, real gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 4.3 per cent in the second quarter after a 5.9pc jump in January-March.

The statistics office said these figures showed the economy had returned to a solid growth path after last year's uprising, which temporarily forced banks and shops to close and triggered an outflow of funds.

So why the different perspectives? Reuters is measuring the April-June 2012 output vs. that of January-March 2012. The Gulf Daily News is measuring April-June 2012 vs. April-June 2011, when the economy hit a low point amid the protests against the monarchy.

0737 GMT: The kingdom has received the first tranche of a $2.5 billion Gulf Cooperation Council development package.

The aid, which is Kuwait's share of a $10 billion total grant, will be used for housing, roads, electricity, water, industrial, and social development projects. It will be sent in allocations of $250 million per year.

A framework agreement was signed yesterday at the Finance Ministry between Bahrain's government and the Kuwaiti Arab Economic Development Fund.

0730 GMT: Maryam AlKhawaja of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights writes that an appeals courts has upheld all sentences of high-profile political prisoners, including life terms for seven of the men:

All sentences of the #bahrain13 will stay the same, politicized court has held up all sentences #bahrain

— Maryam Alkhawaja (@MARYAMALKHAWAJA) September 4, 2012

The sentences of seven other defendants convicted in absentia were also upheld.

0710 GMT: Reem Khalifa of the Associated Press summarises the conntroversy over the building of the largest Roman Catholic church in the Gulf States.

Some Sunni clerics have opposed the construction of the complex, with more than 70 signing a petition that it is forbidden to build churches in the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam.

One prominent cleric, Sheikj Adel Hassan al-Hamad, proclaimed in a Friday prayer sermon last month that "anyone who believes that a church is a true place of worship is someone who has broken in their faith in God." In response, the Government ordered him transferred out of his mosque in the elite district of Riffa, where many members of the royal family live and where the king has several palaces. However, the order was cancelled last week after a wave of protests on social media sites and by Sunni-led political blocs.

0550 GMT: The official Bahrain News Agency reports King Hamad met US Ambassador Thomas Krajeski to "review strong historic relations bonding both countries and steadily-growing cooperation in all fields", with the monarch affirming "Bahrain's keenness on promoting bilateral ties and boosting joint cooperation for the good of both countries and peoples".

The BNA depicts Hamad "hailing" the US for playing a pivotal role and backing the international efforts to maintain security and stability in the Arabian Gulf region", while Krajeski "paid tribute to HM the King, stressing his keen interest on bolstering cooperation".

0535 GMT: Today, final verdicts are expected in the case of the 13 Bahrain political and human rights leaders. The 13, including Abdulhadi AlKhawaja, founder of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Ibrahim Sharif, leader of Wa'ad, and Hassan Mushaima, leader of Haq, were all sentenced by a military court last year, charged with plotting to overthrow the regime. Verdicts had been expected three weeks ago, but the judge adjourned the hearing, reportedly because of a disturbance in the court room. The 13 leaders are viewed as prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International and other leading NGOs. The result of the appeal will therefore be for many another marker regarding the regime's willingness to reform.

Maryam AlKhawaja, acting head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and daughter of Abdulhadi AlKhawaja, commented:

For the trial of the #bahrain13 our expectation is that they will reduce the sentences to send a msg that the court functions cont #Bahrain

— Maryam Alkhawaja (@MARYAMALKHAWAJA) September 3, 2012

Cont but there most likely will not be any releases because these are sham trials based on political assertions #Bahrain #bahrain13

— Maryam Alkhawaja (@MARYAMALKHAWAJA) September 3, 2012

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Maryam's sister Zainab AlKhawaja is also in court tomorrow, with a possible verdict on the case related to her allegedly tearing of a picture of the King. She also faces a trial Wednesday, on charges of "illegal gathering" and "inciting hatred against the regime". Zainab called her mother yesterday, saying "Mama dont expect much tomorrow, not for me nor dad", referring to Abdulhadi AlKhawaja.

As well as the high-profile cases, 16-year old Ammar Ali Mansoor AlSawad from Sitra is also expected to receive a final verdict on charges of illegal protest and burning a police jeep in March. Family and friends contend that Ammar only confessed to the incident after being beaten by police and threatened with rape, a practice the regime categorically denies. They argue that Ammar was never involved in protesting and at the time of the incident, was home at a private tuition session, with Skype recording show he didn't leave his house. They also claim that the location to which Ammar confessed to being was not the site of the clashes.

A verdict in the case of 28 medics had also been expected for today, but it has been postponed until 11 September.