(MENAFN- Gulf Times) A Bahraini court yesterday ruled that King Hamad acted lawfully when he declared a quasi state of emergency in March ahead of a crackdown on political protests.
The constitutional court "rejected the appeal into the constitutionality of the articles of the (state of) National Safety", the official BNA news agency reported.
National Safety is the first of two categories of exceptional measures that the king can resort to in times of emergency. The second is a full state of Martial Law.
An independent commission King Hamad tasked with probing the clampdown on a month-long protest in mid-March had recommended that the constitutional court review the royal declaration of a three-month State of National Safety.
The commission found 35 people were killed in the crackdown on protests, including five security personnel and five detainees who were tortured to death in custody. Hundreds were hurt during the unrest.
The defence teams of scores of the predominantly Shia defendants who appeared before the National Safety Court had questioned the legality of the royal decree, but the court dismissed their challenge.
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