[JURIST] King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain [official profile] ratified a constitutional amendment Monday that would allow for military trials of civilians suspected of terrorism in the country. The amendment [explanatory note, PDF] modifies the text of Article 105(b) of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s Constitution [text, PDF] to read:

The Law governs the military judiciary and defines its jurisdictions for Bahrain Defense Force, the National Guard and the Public Security Forces.

The Bahraini government says the amendment is necessary in light of the spreading of terrorism in the area. They further argue that the amendment will secure the nations “independence, sovereignty, and security” by expediting legal investigations and convictions. Rights group Amnesty International criticized the move [press release], saying the law was vaguely worded and could be abused.

Bahrain’s human rights record has been closely scrutinized in recent months. In September 32 nations joined [JURIST report] a statement to the UN urging Bahrain to protect freedom of peaceful assembly and speech, and to investigate reports of torture used on prisoners. In April a human rights group said [JURIST report] that Bahrain’s post-2011 reforms had failed to put a stop to human rights violations including illegal detentions and torture. And last February the Bahrain Ministry of the Interior started [JURIST report] a criminal investigation against a political opposition group for allegedly illegal content posted on social media. The Bahraini parliament approved [JURIST report] the amendment in March.