Bahrain: No Withdrawal, Saudis to Reposition

Local Editor

A Saudi military official said yesterday that the kingdom plans to pull some units out of the 1,500-strong force sent to Bahrain. However, an adviser to Bahrain's king said there are no plans for a full withdrawal.

The Saudi military official did not say how many troops would remain behind after the pullout next week. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to media.
Nabil al-Hammar, an adviser to Bahrain's king, made it clear that there were no plans for a full withdrawal of the reinforcements, which include troops from the United Arab Emirates. He said some of the Saudi-led force will reposition units within the tiny kingdom.

Mean while, Bahraini regime has released 20 more medical professionals but vows that they would soon face military trials.
Military trials of 48 doctors and paramedics that were detained during a brutal crackdown on massive Bahraini protests in March are to continue, even though all but 14 of them have now been released, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
While welcoming the move, lawyers for the imprisoned doctors and nurses view the release with suspicion. "I think its all part of a political move, no more than that," one lawyer said.

Relatives of the released defendants said the medical staff members appeared weak but in high spirits.

"He feels good that he's out," said a relative of one of the released doctors. "He said they used to be treated very badly, but conditions got better in the past few weeks."
The trumped up charges against the medical staff include refusing to help patients, stealing medicine, and holding people hostage, according to the Bahraini regime's Information Affairs Authority. Such accusations contradict accounts by eyewitnesses and human rights groups that insist the medics were in fact detained for treating protesters that were injured by police gunfire or brutal beatings.
Meanwhile, many of the detained doctors have stated that they were tortured into signing confessions while under police custody. The next hearing session is to be held on July 6.