Bahrain dissidents win retrial - Telegraph Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, a human-rights activist who is close to death after being on hunger strike for more than two months, had his appeal upheld by the Court of Cassation, Bahrain's highest judicial authority. Accused of plotting against the state, Mr Khawaja and 13 others were jailed for life and allegedly tortured while in prison. Seven others were convicted in absentia. Critics say no evidence was ever presented to suggest that the men has either advocated or used violence during last year's bloodily suppressed protests, during which more than 50 people died. I think it is ridiculous, what sort of legal process is this? Mr Khawaja's wife Khadija al-Moussawi told the BBC. They are playing for time, and should have transferred his case to a civilian court at the first hearing not the third. Defence lawyers said that Khawaja would remain on hunger strike despite the ruling. He has lost 25 per cent of his body weight since first refusing food on February 8, although his family said that prison authorities had begun force feeding him last week. Bahrain's authorities were able to ease international pressure last November after it accepted the findings of an independent commission that documented serious abuses by the security forces, including extrajudicial killings, torture and arbitrary arrest. Although the Al Khalifa royal family implemented some of the commission's recommendations it refused to overturn the verdicts against Mr Khawaja and scores of others jailed for participating in the protests. In its ruling, the Court of Cassation said it did not have the power to order the release of the defendants, saying such a decision could only be made following a new trial.