Law No. 34 of 2002 promulgating the Military Justice Law, as amended by Law No. 12 of 2017. 1.4 NIHR noted that the Military Justice, which is competent under the law to consider the present case, has taken into account safeguarding the principle of presumption of innocence and that the accused is innocent until proved guilty under a fair trial in which he has the necessary guarantees to exercise the right to Defence at all stages of investigation and trial. In addition, the defendants against whom decisions have been rendered in presence should have a lawyer to defend them with their consent, and the hearings should be public and in conformity with the provisions of the Constitution, relevant national laws and international and regional human rights instruments. 1.5 Before the verdict was pronounced, NIHR addressed the Military Justice for the purpose of close examination and verification in accordance with the legal and administrative procedures in force of the allegation that a number of defendants were at the time subjected to enforced disappearance, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. 2. NIHR efforts to verify allegations of torture crime 2.1  Under the broad mandate granted to NIHR and its legal position and national responsibility for protection of human rights in the Kingdom of Bahrain, it initiated the necessary investigation of these allegations against persons deprived of their liberty, and directly contacted the Military Justice as the legal body entrusted with considering the above case. 2.2 NIHR is totally keen to be provided by the Military Justice with copies of the minutes of investigation with the convicts of terrorist crimes prosecution and the military prosecution and the requests for their referral to forensic medicine, the forensic 28