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A special tribunal was appointed under the instructions of the Ruler of

Bahrain. The tribunal consisted of Sheikh Abdulla bin Isa Al-Khalifa, Sheikh Duaij

bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, and Sheikh Ali bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa as judges. The

defendants consisted of the five arrested frontline members of the NUC being Al-

Bakir, Al-Shamlan, Al-Alaiwat, E Fakhroo, and Ibn Musa. The tribunal was held at

Budaiya village to the north west of the main island of Bahrain. A room in the

village’s Police Station was setup for the court. The decision to have the trial held in

Budaiya and not in the Manama Court was for security reasons, as it was feared that

having the court assemble in the capital would invite trouble. The trial opened on

22 December and lasted for two days.

The accusations against the defendants were that they had planned the

assassination of the Ruler, his Adviser and members of the ruling family, the

destruction of the palace, airport, and other buildings and an attempt to overthrow

the Government and deprive the Ruler of his authority. The defendants were also

accused of deliberate defiance of the agreement between them and the

Administration on the route decided upon in relation to the demonstration that

resulted in violence and destruction. Al-Bakir, who spoke on behalf of the

defendants, demanded the trial be held in Manama and further criticised the

accusations brought forward against him and his fellow Party members. Moreover

he asked the court to supply the defendants with written copies of the accusations

and documentary evidence to support them. The tribunal agreed to his request but

his demand to have the trial held in Manama was rejected. Al-Bakir later asserted

that, as his request to have the tribunal in Manama had not been met, the defendants

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