QATIF – The Criminal Court here Wednesday sentenced two youths to prison terms for their involvement in riots in the city over the last two years. The sentences were among verdicts issued by the court in the case of five men accused of rioting. One defendant was sentenced to four months, but his release was ordered as he has already spent that time in custody. The court jailed another to two months after he had been out on bail, the cases of two others were adjourned until Sunday, and a fifth was acquitted for lack of evidence. The prosecution protested the sentences and demanded they be toughened. Those sentenced admitted taking part in protests and signed a pledge not to do so in future The verdict was pronounced in an open court. Ibrahim Al-Asiri, representative of the Human Rights Commission in the Eastern Province, and several media persons were present in the court. The Qatif court looked into the cases separately over the past few weeks and held several hearings in the presence of representatives from the National Society for Human Rights.
