MANAMA: Clashes erupted again on the streets of Bahrain yesterday as a court postponed the hearing in a high-profile case against opposition figures.

Inside a packed courtroom, the presiding judge postponed the hearing of Hassan Mushaima, head of the opposition Haq (Right) movement, and Shiite scholar Mohammed Al-Maqdad to April 28. Special Forces arrested the two men last month on charges of funding a terrorist group and inciting hatred. Both men deny the charges.

The court also decided to reinvestigate the case against 35 opposition activists, including the two leaders, following a request from the defense and an outcry from international human rights organizations over what they said were flaws in the trial that opened last month.

The court has decided to repeat the questioning of witnesses and not depend solely on the prosecution’s investigations on which the case was based, defense lawyer Mohammed Ahmed said.

The defendants had filed a complaint against the public prosecution over the airing of alleged confessions on television in December.

Ahmed said the court also agreed to the defense’s request to remove the defendants from solitary confinement.

International observers also attended the hearing and are expected to submit a detailed report to their organizations. International human rights watchdogs, such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and lawyers from different networks, are following the case.

Outside court, relatives of the two men and protesters clashed with special security forces.

Meanwhile, several government schools were put on fire yesterday in villages in the Northern Governorate. “In the past one week, we have witnessed increasing acts of sabotage in educational institutions. Political conflicts should not enter school grounds as there is no relation and it affects students,” said Nabeel Assoumi, director of public relations at the Ministry of Education.

Last year there were 14 arson attacks on public schools, according to officials from the Ministry of Education.

Political groups and lawmakers in the past have highlighted that youths have been misguided. As a result the Bahraini leadership called on religious leaders to educate youths.

Sheikh Abdulajalil Al-Maqdad, a religious scholar, urged youths to resort to peaceful ways of protests rather than destroying public property and attacking foreigners. A Pakistani man died last week due to injuries suffered in a petrol bomb attack early this month.