The defendants, aged 16 to 34, all come from Sitra island, a hotbed of protests since early 2011 when Bahrain's majority Shiites began an uprising seeking a greater political voice in the Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom.
The court decision today could touch off more unrest.
Defence layer Mohamed al-Tajir said the charges stemmed from clashes last year when protesters pelted riot police and their vehicles with homeland firebombs. The charges included attempted murder.