Doha: seven more people accused in coup attempt trial

A judicial source in Doha said on Thursday that the Attorney General has registered before the supreme criminal court seven new names, all Qatari citizens, increasing the number of persons who are being tried in Doha on a charge of attempting to overthrow the ruling system to 117.

The source said that among the seven accused people is a ruling family member, Khalifa Bin Hamad Bin Jasem al-Thani.

The judge decided to postpone the trial's next session until February 25. Qatari political sources said last month that Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasem is now with the former Qatari ruler Sheikh Khalifa Bin Hamad al-Thani in France. However, people accused in this case are 110.

On November 26, 1997 some 110 accused persons were tried -- including foreigners of Saudi, Egyptian, UAE, and Bahraini nationalities. However, the Supreme criminal court in Doha last week sentenced two Qataris to 20 years imprisonment, one an army officer, under the charge of "disclosing military secrets."