Posts from — September 2011

Bahrain Court Hands Down Harsh Sentences to Doctors and Protesters
By J. DAVID GOODMAN – Published: September 29, 2011 – NYT

A court in Bahrain sentenced a protester to death on Thursday for killing a police officer in March, and it issued harsh prison terms to medical workers who treated protesters wounded during the months of unrest there this spring, according to the official Bahrain News Agency. The punishments drew strong criticism from rights groups.

The agency reported that eight people it identified as doctors who worked at a central hospital in the capital, Manama, received 15-year sentences. Other medical personnel at the hospital, the Salmaniya Medical Complex, Bahrain’s largest public hospital, were given terms of between 5 and 15 years.

The sentences were the latest sign that the country’s Sunni monarchy would continue to deal severely with those involved in widespread protests this year, mostly held by members of its repressed Shiite majority. Much of that effort has been focused on the doctors and nurses who treated demonstrators.

At the height of the protests, security forces commandeered the Salmaniya hospital and arrested dozens of doctors and nurses. Rights activists have since accused the government of having made systematic efforts to deny medical services to wounded protesters. The international relief organization Doctors Without Borders stopped working in Bahrain last month after its offices were raided.

Reacting to the verdicts and punishments announced Thursday, Physicians for Human Rights, an advocacy group in Cambridge, Mass., called on the government of Bahrain to set them aside. “These are medical professionals who were treating patients during a period of civil unrest, as their ethical duty requires them to do,” the group’s chief policy officer, Hans Hogrefe, said in a statement on the group’s Web site. “To imprison them as part of a political struggle is unconscionable.”

The Bahrain News Agency, in describing the sentences handed down by a security court on Thursday, said the medical workers had taken over the hospital and used it as a base for antigovernment activity. They were convicted of possessing fuel bombs and light weapons, confiscating medical equipment, and “fabricating stories and lies.”

The medical professionals have said it was their duty to treat anyone who arrived at the hospital and have rejected accusations that treating protesters was akin to supporting their cause.

In the case of the officer’s death, the court said the convicted man, identified as Ali Yusuf Abdulwahab al-Taweel, had run down the officer with his car during antigovernment protests in Sitra, an oil hub just south of the capital, and was guilty of an act of terror. Another man, driving a second car, was sentenced to life in prison for his involvement.

Sitra, known for its activist Shiite population, was a stronghold of antigovernment activists at the height of the demonstrations.

The government of Bahrain, with help from Saudi Arabia, violently quashed the country’s peaceful protest movement in March. Despite the crackdown, demonstrations still occur regularly, especially in places like Sitra, where youths battle security forces after sundown. Graffiti clutters almost every wall there. “We will only kneel before God,” one slogan reads.

“The government has turned to using the law for repression,” said Mohammed al-Maskati, the head of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights.

On Wednesday, the security court upheld life sentences for eight prominent political leaders, The Associated Press reported. Earlier in the week, the court sentenced 32 people, including at least two members of the Bahrain national handball team, to 15 years in prison for protesting illegally.

“They are sending a very negative message to the international community that Bahrain is not moving in the right direction in terms of respecting human rights,” Mr. Maskati said.

Human rights groups say that since the unrest began in the Persian Gulf kingdom of only about 525,000 citizens, 34 people have been killed, more than 1,400 have been arrested and as many as 3,600 people have been fired from their jobs. Four people also died in custody after torture, the rights groups say. …source

Robert Fisk: I saw these brave doctors trying to save lives – these charges are a pack of lies
Tuesday, 14 June 2011 – The Independent

Has the Khalifa family gone mad? Yesterday, the Bahraini royal family started an utterly fraudulent trial of 48 surgeons, doctors, paramedics and nurses, accusing them of trying to topple the tin-pot monarchy of this Sunni minority emirate. The defendants in this flagrantly unfair military court are, of course, members of the majority Shia people of Bahrain. And since I was a witness to their heroic efforts to save lives in February, I can say – let us speak with a frankness that the Bahraini rulers would normally demand – that the charges are a pack of lies.

Doctors I saw, drenched in their patients’ blood, desperately trying to staunch the bullet wounds of pro-democracy demonstrators shot in cold blood by Bahraini soldiers and police, are now on trial. I watched armed policemen refusing to allow ambulances to collect the wounded from the roads where they had been cut down.

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Jail terms upheld for Shiite opposition members, trials of photographers begin
Published on Thursday 29 September 2011 – Reporters without Borders

Reporters Without Borders condemns a special court’s decision on appeal on 27 September to uphold the prison sentences that were passed on 22 June on 14 members of the Shiite opposition including the blogger Abdeljalil Al-Singace, who was sentenced to life imprisonment.

There were convicted of creating and running a terrorist group designed to change the constitution and the system of monarchy by force, being in contact with a foreign terrorist group that acts in the interests of a foreign country and carries out hostile actions against Bahrain, and raising funds for this group.

The appeal court’s ruling did not concern the seven other activists who were tried in absentia, because they could only appeal after turning themselves in to the authorities.

“We condemn this rigged prosecution before a court that ceased to be competent when the state of emergency was lifted on 1 June and we reiterate our call for the release of all prisoners of conscience in Bahrain,” Reporters Without Borders said. “There has been no improvement in media freedom. The government is using the trials of its opponents in order to silence all dissenting voices.”

The list of abuses against bloggers and journalists continues to get longer. The authorities again obstructed the free flow of information by refusing to allow an Al-Jazeera crew to come to Bahrain to cover the partial parliamentary elections that were held on 24 September.

They also prevented AbdulJalil Khalil, a former parliamentary representative of the opposition party Al-Wefaq, from giving interviews to the BBC, Al-Masar and Al-Hiwar by disconnecting his phone calls on the day of the elections.

Four photographers who were previously tried before military courts – Mohamed Al-Aradi, Zuhair Aoun Al-Shama’a, Mojtaba Salmat and Mohammed Al-Sheikh – have meanwhile been summoned before civilian courts and have been placed in detention pending trial. None of them had access to a lawyer during interrogation or during the first trial.

Al-Aradi and Al-Shama’a are to be tried on 20 and 22 November respectively for covering a demonstration that was authorized and for “inciting hatred of the government by posting photos on the Internet.” Salmat is to be tried on 14 November for taking photos for foreign TV stations and for participating in unauthorized demonstrations.

Al-Sheikh is to be tried on 23 October on charges of photographing banned demonstrations and inciting hatred of the government by disseminating photos, online that caused harm to Bahrain. He is also accused of sending the photos to foreign news agencies.

Reporters Without Borders calls for the immediate release of these photographers and the withdrawal of all the charges against them. The press freedom organization wrote to Dr. Salah Ali Mohamed Abdulrahman, the head of the foreign affairs commission, on 20 September calling for the release of all dissidents. No reply has so far been received.

On 19 September, Reporters Without Borders also wrote to Cherif Bassiouni, the head of an independent commission of inquiry appointed by King Hamad bin Issa Al-Khalifa, about the abuses against journalists and the many media freedom violations since the start of the anti-government protests last February. …source

Bahrain’s national dialogue agrees to protect journalists
July 20, 2011 – People’s Daily

Bahrain’s national dialogue on Tuesday resulted in a key consensus on forming a supreme council for journalists to protect their rights in the kingdom.

The council, which was approved in a human rights session of the dialogue, would regulate and license journalists in the country.

“The council would have an appointed judge and members from the Bahrain Journalists Association and Bahrain Bar Society. They would deal with cases filed against journalists to ensure they are not imprisoned,” Mohammed Ahmed, who is representing the Bahrain Journalists Association in the national dialogue, told Xinhua.

Ahmed said journalists should not be jailed for carrying out their jobs and maintaining high professional standards and ethics.

Spokesman of the dialogue Isa Abdulrahman said at a press conference after the sessions that the participants also agreed to regulate the on-line media and no newspaper should be shut down without a court order.

He said over 250 people attended Tuesday’s sessions with consensus reached on several issues.

Bahrain’s largest opposition group Al Wefaq National Islamic Society did not attend the talks on Tuesday. It submitted its reservations about the dialogue process and justified its absence to the organizers of the national dialogue.

Al Wefaq spokesman Khalil Al Marzooq said the party tried to present serious political solutions to Bahrain’s recent unrest, but were ignored by the government.

Al Wefaq also complained that the opposition parties, which were allocated about 35 of the 300 seats, were underrepresented in the dialogue.

In response to the complaint, Chairman of the national dialogue Khalifa Al Dhahrani said Monday that the dialogue “does not represent the government or the opposition, but aims to represent the views of people from all walks of our society.”

The chairman underlined that the dialogue adheres to an international standards for achieving consensus.

“Participants must not pre-empt the outcome of the dialogue process but stay the course, put aside their differences and work constructively towards achieving a consensus,” Dhahrani said.

The national dialogue, which focuses on areas of politics, economy, social issues and human rights, was called by the Bahraini leadership last month and aims to bring together various segments of the Bahraini society to present the people’s views and demands for further reforms in the country.

Over 300 participants from political societies, human rights groups, women groups, nongovernmental organizations, unions, religious academies and expatriate groups are taking part in the high-level talks. …source

U.S. Congress urged to Block Sale of Arms to Bahrain Dictatorship
For Immediate Release: September 29, 2011 – Human Rights First

Washington, DC – Human Rights First has joined with a dozen other human rights organizations to urge members of the U.S. Congress to block a proposed arms sale of TOW missiles and Humvees to Bahrain.

“This prioritization of security interests over political reform stands in stark contrast to President Obama’s declaration of support in May to those protesting for freedom throughout the region, when he said: ‘If you take the risks that reform entails, you will have the full support of the United States,’” the group wrote to members of the House and Senate.

The Bahrain government continues to crack down on peaceful protest aimed at democratic reform. Bahrain is ruled by a monarchy where the king’s uncle has been the country’s unelected prime minister since 1971. The proposed arms sale would be the first from the U.S. since Bahrain’s mass protests for reform in February 2011 and the subsequent violent crackdown by the government.

Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley visited Bahrain twice over the summer and found that during the recent crackdown, more than 1000 people were detained and there are widespread reports of torture. At least four people have died in custody and thousands more people have been fired because of their alleged connection to the protests. Civilians continue to be tried by military courts and heavy prison sentences handed out.

The letter to the U.S. Congress asks members to take a series of actions against the sale, noting, “We urge you to speak out immediately and take meaningful action to block this sale. Under Section 36 of the Arms Export Control Act, we request that you and other members of Congress pass a joint resolution of disapproval to prohibit the proposed sale. We encourage you to seek a detailed justification from the Administration for the proposed sale. In addition, you should request a formal briefing from the Department of State on how this sale will affect the process of political reform and accountability for serious human rights violations in Bahrain, and how this sale will affect public sentiment toward the United States and its presence in Bahrain.” …source

Bahrain upholds lengthy prison terms for journalists
September 28, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists

New York, September 28, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns today’s decision by the appeals chamber of Bahrain’s Court of National Safety to uphold lengthy prison terms for 21 individuals, including two online journalists and a prominent human rights defender. In separate press freedom violations, authorities prevented a newspaper from covering Saturday’s parliamentary by-election, and an independent journalist has faced persistent harassment.

The appellate ruling, which was reported by the official Bahrain News Agency, upheld the June convictions of journalistic bloggers Abduljalil Alsingace and Ali Abdel Imam and human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, a leading defender of free expression rights, on a series of charges related to “plotting to topple” the regime. The court also let stand the life prison sentences given to Alsingace and al-Khawaja, and the 15-year term handed to Abdel Imam. The original proceedings in the Court of National Safety, a tribunal made up of civilian and military judges, were marred by a lack of due process and fairness, according to news accounts and human rights defenders. Defense lawyers had limited access to both their clients and to the evidence in the case, according to those accounts, and the court did not fully investigate reports that the defendants were tortured in custody.

“Journalism, no matter how adversarial to the government, does not amount to an antistate crime,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Mohamed Abdel Dayem. “The prosecution failed to produce evidence implicating the two journalists in a crime, and the courts did not ensure fair and just proceedings.”

Alsingace and Abdel Imam were arrested last year on antistate conspiracy charges during a government crackdown. They were released in February as the government sought to appease a then-nascent protest movement, but they were re-arrested in March as authorities cracked down again. Al-Khawaja was arrested in April and suffered extensive physical abuse, CPJ research shows.
Front page of Al-Wasat (AP)

In a separate case, the government’s election committee delayed granting ID passes to journalists for the independent daily Al-Wasat, thus preventing them from covering the government’s by-elections on Saturday, local journalists told CPJ. The government-issued ID passes allow journalists to enter and report from polling stations. The election was scheduled to fill 18 empty seats in the 40-seat parliament that had been vacated by Shiite lawmakers six months ago to protest the crackdown. On September 21, just days before the election, the Bahrain News Agency published an Interior Ministry statement that “warned against posting illegal calls on social networking and Internet websites inciting people to break the law,” adding that circulating or publicizing calls to take part in rallies is a “crime punishable by the law.” …more

Time to change U.S. policy toward Saudi Arabia
By Caitlin Fitz Gerald – Special to CNN – 28 September,, 2011

American foreign policy is often torn between shared values and strategic interests. Nowhere is the divide more pronounced than in U.S. dealings with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Although Saudi Arabia has an egregious record on human rights, a major arms deal is being finalized between the country and the U.S. Indeed, Saudi Arabia appears positioned to remain a stable center of U.S. policy in the region, now more than ever.

Saudi Arabia’s interactions with its restive neighbors have been reliably counterrevolutionary. Saudi Arabia has historically preferred Yemen divided and weak. Although divisions within the regime on the best approach to Yemen are clear, Saudi Arabia has shown a consistent willingness to intervene in Yemen’s affairs. North of the Kingdom in Jordan, where stalled political reforms and a struggling economy have led to regular protests, the Saudi regime has offered economically advantageous membership in the Gulf Cooperation Council and at least $400 million in grants to support the country’s economy and reduce its budget deficit. Additionally, Kingdom forces headed up an intervention in Bahrain in March, on behalf of their allies, the ruling al-Khalifa regime.

Saudi troops helped the Sunni leaders crack down on the Shia protests and may have assisted in the destruction of a number of Shiite mosques in the country. This assistance not only helped restore stability to the closely neighboring island, but also may have served as a message to the Kingdom’s own Shia population, which has long been the subject of severe discrimination by the Wahhabi sect that dominates the Saudi religious establishment. In recent years, there has been a renewal of small Shia protests in Saudi Arabia, but public protest remains illegal. The government aggressively clamps down on protest movements, and those arrested often disappear into the prison system. The only man to appear for a planned day of protests on March 11 in Riyadh was arrested; he remains imprisoned with no access to legal representation.

Saudi Arabia’s record on human rights is dismal . The plight of the country’s foreign domestic workers is so bad that Indonesia this year barred its citizens from working there after a particularly serious incident. Laborers not only work long hours for little pay under draconian sponsorship laws, but abuse is common, redress virtually unknown and a worker is more likely to be convicted for standing up for herself than to see her employer convicted for abusing her. Saudi citizens cannot rely on the rule of law either, as the legal system is still built largely on un-codified religious law and royal decree. Even codification efforts seem aimed toward formalizing injustice. Despite some recent changes, women in Saudi Arabia have diminished legal standing; a woman’s voice carries half the weight of a man’s in court proceedings and women require the supervision of a male family member for many activities. They are also not permitted to drive, which is the only rights issue for which U.S. politicians have applied any public pressure on the Saudi regime.

Nevertheless, last fall, the U.S. came to an agreement with Saudi Arabia on a $60 billion arms deal, the biggest such deal in U.S. history. It includes a large package of new fighter jets, upgrades to older jets and a variety of attack helicopters, as well as equipment, weapons, training and support for all systems. It hasn’t been finalized, but Congress raised no objections when the deal was reviewed last fall. In fact, in July there were reports that the deal was being expanded to include an additional $30 billion to facilitate upgrades to the Saudi Navy. An agreement of this scope and magnitude shows a clear commitment by the United States to its future relationship with the Kingdom. Upgrading their fleet will allow them to take a stronger posture against Iran and those attack helicopters will be useful for limiting spillover from the chaos in neighboring Yemen.
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PHR Denounces Sentences Passed on Bahraini Medics and Protestors
Calls for persecution of health providers to cease
Media Contact – Megan Prock – Tel: 617-301-4237 -Cell: 617-510-3417 – Cambridge, Mass – 09/29/2011

PHR denounces the guilty verdicts and harsh sentences issued in Bahrain against 20 medical professionals and two protestors on September 29. The medics were convicted for providing care to protestors during the country’s popular uprising earlier this year. PHR calls on the government of Bahrain to set aside the verdicts and not carry out the sentences.

“These are medical professionals who were treating patients during a period of civil unrest, as their ethical duty requires them to do. To imprison them as part of a political struggle is unconscionable,” said PHR’s Chief Policy Officer, Hans Hogrefe.

PHR has continually challenged the legitimacy of the charges against the medics. The medical professionals being charged are civilians who have been arrested and interrogated by military prosecutors, and then tried by a hybrid military court. This does not meet with the minimum standard of a fair trial. These convictions demonstrate a clear disregard for human rights on the part of the Bahraini authorities and are in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which was ratified by the Kingdom of Bahrain.

In April, PHR released the report Do No Harm, which detailed Bahrain’s systematic attacks on physicians, medical staff, and patients. PHR has continually condemned the human rights violations of all civilians during the popular uprising, and has called for all to receive fair trials.

PHR has also received reports of torture of the detainees and a significant decline in the detainees’ health while in detention.

“We are gravely concerned that Bahraini judges have not given these torture allegations sufficient consideration in their final verdict and that any confessions may well have been forced and are therefore invalid,” said Deputy Director Richard Sollom, who authored PHR’s April report.

“We believe the Kingdom of Bahrain still has time to act before the doctors are arrested and taken to prison,” said Hogrefe. “In the past, leading medical organizations have called for the release of the doctors. Today we call on the voices of medical professionals worldwide to urge the government of Bahrain to set aside the verdicts and not carry out the sentences.”

PHR has been told by sources inside Bahrain that the following sentences have been passed on 20 medical professionals:

1. Dr. Ali Al-Ekri ( 15 Years )
2. Dr. Nader Diwani ( 15 Years )
3. Dr. Ahmed Abdul Aziz Omran ( 15 Years )
4. Dr. Mahmoud Asghar ( 15 Years )
5. Rola Al Saffar ( 15 Years )
6. Dr. Abdulkhaleq Al-Oraibi ( 15 Years )
7. Dr. Ghassan Dhaif ( 15 Years )
8. Dr. Bassim Dhaif ( 15 Years )
9. Sayed Marhoon Al-Wedaie ( 15 Years )
10. Dr. Nada Dhaif ( 15 Years )
11. Dr. Fatima Haji ( 5 Years )
12. Dheya Ibrahim AbuIdris ( 5 Years )
13. Dr. Najah Khalil Al-Haddad ( 5 Years )
14. Dr. Saeed Al-Samahiji ( 10 Years )
15. Dr. Zahra Al-Sammak ( 5 Years )
16. Ali Hassan Alsddi ( 15 Years )
17. Ibrahim Abdullah Ibrahimn ( 15 Years )
18. Hassan Mohammed Said ( 10 Years )
19. Mohammed Faiq Ali ( 5 Years )
20. Qassim Mohammed Omran ( 15 Years )

…source

GCHR and BCHR call for the Bahraini King’s immediate intervention to stop persecuting Medical Staff in Bahrain
29 September 2011 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

The Gulf Centre for Human Rights and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights condemn in the strongest term the unfair and harsh verdicts issued today by the National Safety Court, in other words a military court – against 20 doctors, nurses and paramedics working for the state health sector in Bahrain. The verdicts include 15, 10 and 5 years prison sentences against the 20 health professionals as listed below:

1. Dr. Ali Al-Ekri, 15 years in prison
2. Dr. Nadir Diwani, 15 years in prison
3. Dr. Ahmed Abdul Aziz Omran, 15 years in prison.
4. Dr. Mahmoud Asghar, 15 years in prison
5. Rula Al Saffar, head of Bahrain Nursing Society, 15 years in prison
6. Dr. Abdulkhaleq Al-Oraibi, 15 years in prison
7. Dr. Ghassan Daif, 15 years in prison
8. Bassem Daif, 15 years in prison
9. Sayed Marhoon Al-Wedaie, 15 years in prison
10. Dr. Nada Daif, 15 years in prison
11. Dr. Fatima Salman Haji, 5 years in prison
12. Dheya Jafar Ibrahim, 5 years in prison
13. Dr.Najah Khalil Ibrahim, 5 years in prison
14. Dr. Saeed Samahiji, 10 years in prison
15. Dr. Zahra Mehdi Sammak, 5 years in prison
16. Mohammed Ul-Shehab, 5 years in prison
17. Haassan Mohamed Altoblani, 10 years in prison
18. Ibrahim Abdullah Ibrahim Damastani, 15 years in prison
19. Ali Hassan Alsdda, 15 years in prison, tried in absentia

20. Qassim Mohammed Omran, 15 in prison, tried in absentia


The Bahraini government has presented the military court with a list of ready-made charges against the group such as:

1. The possession of unlicensed weapons and ammunition;
2. The attempt of forcefully occupying a public building (Salmaniya Hospital);
3. Promotion to bring down and change the regime by illegal means;
4. The confiscation of medical equipment;
5. Spreading false news about the wounded;
6. Inciting hatred against the governing regime.

What the Bahraini government has done on this occasion is something that has never happened in the modern history of man-kind; by targeting the health professionals using the most inhuman ways such as: arbitrary arrest, torture, extracting confessions from them while blindfolded and under torture, and bad conditions in prison.

The ill-treatment that they faced from the very first moment of arrest and the huge pressure created an unlimited amount of psychological and physical pain on all of them, while others are now suffering from chronic diseases. Despite the promise of the King of Bahrain and in contrary to national legislation, the doctors and medics who are civilians have been brought before a military court that lacks the basic principles of justice and does not comply with any of the international standards in order to deliver justice to law-abiding citizens. The 20 doctors, nurses and paramedics who have faced criminal charges, are part of 48 doctors, nurses and paramedics who were arrested in March and April 2011, while the second group includes 28 accused of misdemeanors. “The Bahraini government is targeting highly qualified health professionals who have an excellent reputation on both the national and international levels. Their crime is they tried to treat their fellow citizens who took part in peaceful demonstrations,” said Nabeel Rajab head of Gulf Centre for Human Rights and Bahrain Centre for Human Rights. He continued by saying that “the government of Bahrain should instead bring those who attacked the peaceful demonstrators to justice.”

The Gulf Centre for Human Rights and the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights call on the King of Bahrain to intervene personally and immediately to stop this farce and revoke these unfair sentences issued against the medical staff. He should also disable all the arbitrary measures against them and compensate them fairly for all material and moral damages and set up an independent commission to investigate all allegations of torture reported by reliable sources from within Bahrain. …source

[cb editor: The “great hope” is that the powers in the West, the US and UK, will find the moral courage to find a solution that moves beyond despotic rule and State Violence on a nonviolent opposition quickly rather than allow the “slow bleed” unto change that will eventually lead to desperation and violence from the opposition. Moral Courage from the West – seems an oxymoron and I doubt it… …moving quickly to create a democratic outcome to avert a protracted contagion of violence that seems inevitable, I doubt that too.]

Bahrain Should Heed Lessons from Ireland
Posted: 9/29/11 – Brian Dooley – Human Rights First

Take two small island nations, each situated off the coast of a major power. Both have a history of sectarian conflict, fake democracy and misrule by monarchy. Both have a strategically important deepwater naval base. Crucially, both have a police force recruited almost exclusively from one of the sects.

Both have populations of around a million and a half, and both enjoy the dubious legacy of British colonialism and the traditions of its security apparatus.

There are differences, of course. Bahrain remains one country while Ireland was cut into two almost 90 years ago in a makeshift political solution to create Northern Ireland, which has a Protestant majority largely keen on continued British rule and loyal to the British monarch. In Northern Ireland, the fight for civil rights for Catholics (or for “parity of esteem” in modern jargon) has been conducted largely in the rain, cold and damp, whereas Bahrainis’ struggle happens in extreme heat and sunshine.

From the early 1920s, when Northern Ireland was created, the largely Protestant ruling class excluded Catholics from top government jobs, and the police force was almost exclusively Protestant, fiercely loyal to the British Protestant monarch. Electoral districts were gerrymandered to give Protestants a permanent electoral advantage even in areas like Derry, which had a Catholic majority.

In Bahrain, electoral districts are gerrymandered in favor of Sunnis, while Shias are excluded from top government jobs. The police force is almost exclusively Sunni, fiercely loyal to the Sunni monarch.

In 1968, inspired by the Prague Spring, Northern Ireland saw its first civil rights protests. A wave of pro-democracy marches and demonstrations swept Europe, from Prague to Warsaw to Belgrade to Paris and beyond. In Derry in Northern Ireland, the protests were met with a violent crackdown from the security forces. Within a year, with protests escalating, the police in Northern Ireland had to be reinforced by soldiers sent from neighboring Britain.

This year, inspired by the Arab Spring and demonstration in Tuni, Cairo and elsewhere, Bahraini pro-democracy activists organised huge protests which were met with a violent crackdown from the security forces. Within a month, with protests escalating, the police in Bahrain had to be reinforced by soldiers sent from neighboring Saudi Arabia.

We could go on, listing the similarities in the special court systems, the torture and ill-treatment of detainees, the shooting of peaceful protestors, the deaths in custody, the fake shows of dialogue about power-sharing, the allegations of foreign conspiracies (led by Tehran or the Vatican), the social segregation of people living in different areas and shopping in different stores.
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[cb editor: words without deeds are meaningless. Why is it the words come after the travesty of justice has been committed? The Foreign Secretary’s words won’t undo the injustice but sanctions and stopping weapons sales in all forms might get King Hamad’s attention.]

Foreign Secretary concerned by sentences in Bahrain
29 September 2011 – Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Speaking today the Foreign Secretary said:

“I am deeply concerned, that after the briefest of hearings, a Bahraini Special Tribunal has sentenced a group of medics to between 5 and 15 years in prison, upheld life sentences against Bahraini opposition leaders and passed one sentence of the death penalty.

“These sentences appear disproportionate to the charges brought. These are worrying developments that could undermine the Bahraini Government’s moves towards dialogue and the reform needed for long-term stability in Bahrain.

“I call on the Bahraini judicial authorities to follow due process carefully and transparently, and to revoke the decision to impose the death penalty.

“Cases before the Special Tribunals should be transferred to regular civilian courts. This would help the Bahraini authorities demonstrate their commitment to upholding civil liberties, including the right to appeal and equal access to justice.” …source

Hezbollah Condemns Bahraini Repression Against Women
ABNA.com 28 September, 2011

Hezbollah on Thursday condemned the repressive actions adopted by Bahraini authorities against the people there especially the women, comparing these actions to the American terror against the detainees in Guantanamo and Abu Ghreib.

Hezbollah Condemns Bahraini Repression Against Women

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – “Repressive actions taken by Bahraini authorities are mounting against the citizens, reaching the extent of detaining dozens of women and terrorizing them”.

“In an unprecedented violation to the sanctity of the Arab and Muslim woman, Bahraini authorities hold these women in detention, insult, handcuffed, and threw them over each others. It also used sectarian terms as they talked to them”.

“This new crime would be added to the authorities’ series of crimes”.

Hezbollah also slammed the upholding of long jail terms against protesters and some opposition figures, saying: “all their fault is that they peacefully took to streets calling for their right of freedom”.

“All of free people in the world condemn these oppressive actions which look like the American terror in Guantanamo and Abu Ghreib”.

The party also stressed its support to the Bahraini people and its legitimate demands. …source

Update: Bahrain: Medical Care Criminalized in Bahrain
Posted on 2011/09/29 – Front Line Defenders

Medical Care Criminalized in Bahrain Front Line Defenders Deplores Prison Sentences Handed Down to Doctors and Nurses in Bahrain

Dublin, Ireland, September 29, 2011 – Front Line Defenders condemns in the strongest terms the sentencing today by the Bahrain National Safety Court of First Instance of 20 medical staff to prison sentences ranging from 5 to 15 years following a deeply flawed and unfair trial. Among those sentenced are Dr. Ali Al Ekri, Dr. Bassim Dhaif, and Dr. Ghassan Dhaif all of whom were trained at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and received 15-year sentences. Among those receiving 5-year prison sentences were Dr. Zahra Al-Sammak, who also trained in Dublin; Dr. Fatima Haji, who was a lecturer at the RCSI campus in Bahrain; and Ms. Rola Al-Saffar, President of the Bahrain Nursing Society.
Professor Damian McCormack, orthopaedic surgeon, who led an Irish fact-finding delegation to Bahrain in July, was outraged by the sentencing: “This is an utterly abhorrent decision by the Bahraini court. It is beyond belief the doctors, nurses and other medical workers could be treated as criminals for providing medical care to the injured. It is time for RCSI to reconsider its relationship with Bahrain, if there is to be no respect for the medical profession.”

The trial and subsequent sentencing of the medics is the latest instance of human rights violations that members of the medical profession have been subjected to over the last six months, including arbitrary arrest and detention, intimidation, loss of employment, torture and ill-treatment, malicious prosecutions, prolonged incommunicado detention, smear campaigns, sexual assaults and death threats.

Front Line Defenders has repeatedly raised deep concerns with the Bahraini authorities about violations meted out to members of the medical profession, including their unfair trial. Mary Lawlor, Director of Front Line Defenders said in response to the sentencing: “The sentencing of these medical workers, who were upholding their professional, moral and legal responsibilities to treat the injured is unjust and will stand as a historic low for respect the most basic human rights and humanitarian principles.”

The organization considers the trial of the doctors before the National Safety Court to be unconstitutional and grossly unfair. The Bahraini Constitution prohibits the trial of civilians before military courts and does not allow the establishment of a military prosecution system except during Martial Law. The operation of military prosecution is not allowed in Bahrain during a National Safety State.

Among the irregularities which have marked the trial of the medics were the failure of National Safety Court to investigate allegations of torture and the use of excessive force during their arrest; incommunicado detention for weeks without access to their families and lawyers; and extraction of confessions under torture and duress.

The trial and sentencing of the medical professionals represent a dark page in the history of Bahrain. The scale of brutality and injustice visited on doctors is unprecedented not only in the region, but internationally. The persecution of medical personnel on this scale has not been witnessed in any other country in the region despite widespread protests. The effort by the government of Bahrain to criminalize medical care is thus a dangerous precedent if allowed to stand.

Front Line Defenders calls on the Bahraini authorities to immediately drop the sentences passed on the doctors, ensure that they are reinstated to their positions and compensated for the damage suffered during their detention and trial. Front Line Defenders also calls on those responsible for the torture of the medical personnel to be brought to justice. …source

Bahrain court sentences protester to death
The Associated Press – September 28, 2011

MANAMA, Bahrain — Bahrain’s special security court on Thursday sentenced a protester to death for killing a policeman, and gave doctors and nurses who had treated injured protesters during the country’s uprising earlier this year lengthy prison sentences, a lawyer said.

Attorney Mohsen al-Alawi said the tribunal, set up during Bahrain’s emergency rule, convicted and sentenced 13 medical professionals each to 15 years in prison. In addition, two doctors were sentenced to 10 years each while seven other medics convicted on Thursday got shorter prison terms of 5 years each.

Thursday’s harsh sentences suggest the Sunni authorities in the Gulf kingdom will not relent in pursing and punishing those they accuse of supporting the Shiite-led opposition and participating in dissent that has roiled the tiny island nation.

Earlier this year, the same special court sentenced two other protesters to death for killing a police officer in a separate incident.

Al-Alawi, the lawyer, said the 22 medical professionals, who were charged with various anti-state crimes, and the protester who got the death sentence on Thursday can appeal their verdicts.

Hundreds of activists have been imprisoned since March when Bahrain’s rulers imposed martial law to deal with protests by the country’s Shiite majority demanding greater rights and freedoms.

More than 30 people have been killed since the protests began in February, inspired by Arab uprisings elsewhere. The Sunni monarchy that rules this strategically important Gulf nation, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, responded with a violent crackdown.

Thursday’s sentences came a day after the tribunal upheld sentences for 21 activists convicted for their roles in the protests, including eight prominent political figures who were given life terms on charges of trying to overthrow the kingdom’s Sunni rulers.

The court’s decision reflected the authorities’ unwillingness to roll back punishments for those considered central to the anti-government uprising, although officials have taken some steps to ease tensions. They include releasing some detainees and reinstating state workers purged for suspected support of the seven-month-old protest movement.

The doctors’ trial has been closely watched by rights groups, which have criticized Bahrain’s use of the security court, which has military prosecutors and both civilian and military judges, in prosecuting civilians. …source

AP Photo – Masked Bahraini anti-government protesters watch from rooftops as tear gas fills the Shiite village of Sanabis, Bahrain, on the edge of the capital of Manama, where protesters engage in daily clashes with violent Security Forces staffed by unqualified foreign nationals.
…source

All the King’s Women
A royal decree allowing women the right to vote can’t hide the decay in the House of Saud.
BY SIMON HENDERSON | SEPTEMBER 26, 2011 – Foreign Policy

Articles enumerating the advances in women’s rights in Saudi Arabia have, until now, tended to be rather short. There simply hasn’t been much to write about: Saudi women haven’t had many rights, at least not in terms Westerners usually understand — the right to vote, the right to drive, or the right to travel without a male guardian. But with King Abdullah’s royal decree on Sunday, Sept. 25, granting women the right to vote in municipal elections, there has now been a river of commentary placing this reform in the context of the upheaval elsewhere in the Arab world. This news, however, does not justify the tediously high word counts that the commentariat will undoubtedly reach over the next few days.

King Abdullah’s edict is certainly a change. It might even be progress. But some caution is necessary. Women will not actually be allowed to vote until municipal elections in 2015 — when they will also be allowed to stand as candidates. In Saudi Arabia’s nascent parliament, the appointed consultative council, change will come earlier: Women will be allowed to serve in the next session, which will begin in 2012.

The delay might matter. King Abdullah is 88 years old and has a variety of ailments. He might not be around this time next year. His nominated successor, Crown Prince Sultan, 87, is even less likely to be alive then; he currently resides in a New York City hospital and is believed to be terminally ill. The apparent next in line, the conservative Prince Nayef, likely has a different attitude toward women’s rights. In the past he has spoken out against the nascent campaign to allow women to drive.

Saudi watchers, certainly including yours truly, didn’t see this announcement coming. King Abdullah’s reputation as a reformer has dimmed in recent years. He doesn’t seem to have the energy to push for the needed consensus in the royal family and, more particularly, from the kingdom’s orthodox Sunni Islam clerical hierarchy. But the monarch did attempt to bridge these divides by painting the change as completely compatible with Islamic tradition. “All people know that Muslim women have had in the Islamic history, positions that cannot be marginalized,” he said, going on to note women’s contributions since the time of the Prophet Mohammed.

This reform, however, was the exception rather than the rule. In fact, King Abdullah hasn’t seemed to be making any decisions recently. A diplomatic friend recently described the monarch as “lucid for only a couple of hours a day.” And last week, there was what seemed to be the height of Saudi indecision: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was allowed to return home from a Saudi hospital after recovering from injuries sustained nearly four months ago — despite an apparent agreement between Riyadh and Washington that, for the future good of troubled Yemen, this shouldn’t happen. …more

Saudi activist defiant in face of state intimidation
Waleed Abu al-Khair collected 8,000 signatures calling for reform

Amnesty International – 14 September 2011

A prominent Saudi Arabian human rights activist taken to court this weekend for calling for a constitutional monarchy told Amnesty International he will not bow to intimidation by the authorities.

Waleed Abu al-Khair, who has been studying in the UK but returned to his home country during Ramadan, was summoned to a court in Jeddah on Sunday. When he arrived at the courthouse, there was neither a judge nor a prosecutor present.

“The judge’s assistant brought out my file, and told me that I had insulted the judiciary and encouraged people in Saudi Arabia to go against the government. In the eyes of the Saudi judiciary, anyone who calls for a constitutional monarchy is guilty,” the 32 year-old said.

Detaining activists calling for reform is nothing new in Saudi Arabia, but activists have become increasingly vocal in recent months. Protesters who have taken to the streets have also been met with repression and detentions.

Since the beginning of the year, there have been a number of petitions calling for reforms. Waleed Abu al-Khair, who also organized a petition in February, believes these calls for change triggered a crackdown on dissent.

“Recently, the situation for rights activists here has definitely been getting worse,” he said.

Mubarak bin Said Bin Zu’air, a 45-year old lawyer, has been held without charge since March after taking part in a peaceful protest in Riyadh calling for the release of long-term political prisoners. Another activist, Mohammad al-Bajadi, co-founder of a Saudi human rights organization, was arrested the following day for attending a protest. He has been charged with “supporting the revolution in Bahrain” and with “forming an organization”. His trial began last month.

Amnesty International recently condemned a Saudi draft anti-terrorist law, which the organization believes could be used to stifle peaceful dissent. Waleed Abu Al-Khair and other activists in Saudi Arabia agree with this assessment:
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In a lecture to National Security officers: Bahey eldin Hassan warns of the dangers of reviving the policies and practices of Mubarak and al-Adli and the application of the emergency law – 27/09/2011 – Cairo Institute

Bahey eldin Hassan, the director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), said that that the “full application” of the emergency law and an expansion of its scope would affect many spheres that remained untouched by the law even in the Mubarak era. In its essence, it is the application of policies pursued by the former president and his interior minister, Habib al-Adli, which were based on brutality and oppression. According to Hassan, among those who will pay the price of these policies will be primarily the security establishment, which has thus far still proved unable to earn the people’s trust.

Hassan made these observations in a lecture given yesterday morning at the behest of the National Security Agency, at its main headquarters. In attendance were 15 senior officials (generals) with the agency from various governorates and departments. The four-hour lecture involved an engaging, productive discussion, during which Hassan suggested that National Security invite politicians, academics, and writers to lecture or hold discussions with National Security officials.

Hassan said that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) had adopted a flawed roadmap from the beginning, which now, seven months after the revolution, had led to an exacerbation of the country’s economic, social, and political problems. Instead of using political means, the SCAF chose military trials for civilians, torture by the military police, repressive legislation, smear campaigns against political groups and human rights organizations, incitement against independent media, and the criminalization of strikes and sit-ins. All of this threatens to draw the country into confrontation, especially given the absence of any serious institutional channels for debate with political or civil society.

Hassan noted that a cursory review of the press prior to January 25 would reveal the enormity of the complaints with regards to limiting the criminal security apparatus to political security. The failures of the security apparatus are not new, he said, but were clearly seen in several notorious criminal and terrorist cases before January 25. Hassan said that the continuation of thuggery is due to the too modest reforms that the security apparatus has undergone in addition to the failure of the police to win popular trust as a result of the populace’s doubts about the seriousness of such reform. Instead of embarking on a comprehensive plan for security reform, the SCAF has simply tightened the iron fist under cover of the emergency law.
[Read more →]

Hezbollah Leader Should Be Tried in U.S. Federal Courts

For Immediate Release: September 26, 2011 – Human Rights First

Washington, DC – The United States should not try Ali Mussa Daqduq – a Lebanese man thought to be a commander of Hezbollah – before a military tribunal whether at Guantanamo or at a military facility within the United States, said Human Rights First today.

“Guantanamo has been a limited and failed experiment,” said Human Rights First’s Raha Wala. “Expanding military tribunals at this point sends the wrong signal that federal courts are unable to prosecute these types of cases, when the facts unequivocally demonstrate that civilian courts are reliable and effective.”

As Human Rights First has noted in the past, civilian federal courts have convicted over 400 individuals of terrorism-related offenses since 9/11, while commissions have convicted only six. Many of the federal civilian court cases involved individuals who had plotted attacks internationally or were otherwise captured abroad.

Reports suggest that Daqduq worked with local insurgent groups to capture and execute four U.S. soldiers during fighting in Iraq, which would constitute a war crime under international law. Federal criminal law gives civilian courts the power to punish individuals for committing war crimes.

“Terrorists want us to overreact and abandon our time-tested laws and institutions. The Obama Administration should not back down by weakening our civil justice system and expanding military tribunals,” concluded Wala. …source

Egregious Verdict the Latest in Bahrain’s Oppression
Washington – September 28, 2011 – Freedom House

The decision of a Bahrain Special Security court to uphold harsh sentences—including eight life sentences—for 21 Bahraini human rights and civil society activists, as well as its continued efforts to punish dissent, illustrates a pattern of repression that belies any promises of meaningful reform by the government, according to Freedom House.

Along with today’s sentences, Bahraini rights groups have reported ongoing arrests, intimidation, and in some cases torture, of those speaking out in favor of democracy and advocating for the human rights of all Bahrainis. Last week, the Bahrain Interior Ministry said it would arrest anyone caught posting messages urging protests or other acts of dissent on the internet or social media amid increasing calls for protests ahead of September 24’s parliamentary elections—a second round of elections will take place on October 1. Penalties could include fines and jail time. Authorities also threatened to revoke the driver’s licenses of those who disrupted elections by intentionally starting traffic jams.

“Attempting to stifle dissent and criticism by imprisoning activists and criminalizing online communication is a pathetic attempt by unelected, undemocratic regimes to hold onto power without making any effort to meet the political demands of their people,” said Courtney C. Radsch, Freedom House’s Freedom of Expression Officer. “Whether political speech happens on social media platforms, mobile phones or in the media, all people have a fundamental right to express their opinion, particularly in advance of elections.”

Last week’s parliamentary by-elections were marred by the government’s use of force—including tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets—against unarmed protesters. More than 32 people have been killed and thousands detained in Bahrain since demonstrations began in February 2011, with crackdowns targeting anti-government activists and medical practitioners in particular. A verdict is expected tomorrow for a number of the medical professionals who were arrested on charges of “incitement to overthrow the regime” through their provision of medical care to all Bahrainis in need, including pro-democracy protestors.

“Freedom House calls on the Bahraini government to cease its intimidation of political opponents and initiate genuine and far-reaching political reforms. A first step should be throwing out the charges against the medical professionals going on trial tomorrow for providing care to injured activists,” said Charles Dunne, senior program manager for the Middle East and North Africa at Freedom House. “The U.S. government must hold Bahrain fully accountable for the ongoing repression and insist both publicly and privately on specific, measurable reforms to advance freedom and human rights in the country.”

Bahrain is ranked Not Free in Freedom in the World 2011, Freedom House’s survey of political rights and civil liberties, and Not Free in Freedom of the Press 2011. …source

Military Trial Verdicts Expose Bahrain’s Lack of Interest in Reform

For Immediate Release: September 28, 2011 – Human Rights First

Washington, DC – Human Rights First today condemned the harsh prison sentences confirmed by Bahrain’s military court for 21 prominent dissidents. The group said the sentences expose the government’s flawed legal process and its lack of interest in reform.

“Some of the men have credible evidence that they were tortured in custody, but they were not allowed to raise that evidence during their trial, which fell well short of any legitimate legal standard,” said Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley.

According to Dooley, eight of the 21 dissidents had life sentences confirmed in today’s appeal. Among those before the military court today were human rights activist Abdulhadi Al Khawaja and political leader Hassan Mushaima. The original June 2011 prison sentences – ranging from two years to life in prison – for the other 19 on trial were also confirmed at today’s hearing.

The 21 dissidents are seen as leaders of the pro-democracy movement that became part of this year’s Arab Spring movement. Bahrain is ruled by a monarchy in which the king’s uncle has been the unelected prime minister for the last 40 years. In response to calls for reform, the Bahrain government cracked down violently on peaceful protests, arresting over 1000 people. Torture in detention was widespread and at least four dissidents have died in custody. Violent attacks on peaceful protests continue almost daily.

The Bahrain government has made no real attempts to engage in negotiation with the democracy movement. Instead, government leaders organized a sham “National Dialogue” with only selected groups.

“The Bahrain government today revealed its real intentions on reform as it condemned these leading opposition figures to years in prison after a show trial,” stated Dooley. “In May, President Obama told the Bahraini government that ‘…you can’t have a real dialogue when parts of the peaceful opposition are in jail.’ Unfortunately, the Bahrainis chose to ignore President Obama’s advice, and the U.S. Government has since failed to publicly press that point. Today’s verdicts against peaceful jailed opposition leaders make the prospects of real negotiations, regional stability and democratic reform more remote.” …source

Bahrain protester convictions upheld at sham military trial
Scores of perceived political foes have faced trials in military courts

Amnesty International – 28 September 2011

The decision today by a Bahrain military court to uphold the guilty verdicts against a group of prominent opposition activists exposes yet again the inherent unfairness of the trial process, Amnesty International said today.

In proceedings that lasted less than five minutes, the military-run National Safety Court of Appeal in Manama confirmed life sentences for seven of the defendants and shorter jail sentences for 14 others – seven of whom were tried in absentia.

The defendants were appealing the verdict and prison sentences handed down by the National Safety Court of First Instance, also a military court, in June on charges they wanted to change the political system and incited violence during peaceful pro-reform protests earlier this year. They all deny the charges.

“By upholding this verdict, Bahrain’s military justice system has once again shown it has no intention of meeting international fair trial standards for anyone the authorities perceive as a political foe,” said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.

“These men should never have been brought before a military court.”

According to an observer present in the court room, the defendants were brought before the judge in civilian clothing, raising hopes that they might be released.

Officials prevented the defendants from speaking to relatives who were in the court room, possibly to punish them for launching a hunger-strike last Saturday over the Bahraini security forces’ detention of 45 women and girls during protests the day before.

After the ruling, the defendants were allowed to meet privately with their defence lawyers, who plan to lodge an appeal before Bahrain’s Court of Cassation, in the civilian justice system. However, the Court of Cassation will only examine procedural matters and will not look into the substance of the charges, the evidence presented, or allegations of torture by some of the defendants.

The Bahraini authorities have not initiated any independent and impartial investigation into allegations of torture made by some of the defendants in this case, including ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, a prominent human right activist.

“After today’s all-too-predictable outcome, it is high time for Bahrain’s King, Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa, to end this travesty once and for all by ordering the immediate release of the defendants or, failing that, their fair re-trial before a properly constituted civilian court,” said Malcolm Smart. …source

Bahrain protester convictions upheld at sham military trial
28 September, 2011 – Amnesty International

The decision today by a Bahrain military court to uphold the guilty verdicts against a group of prominent opposition activists exposes yet again the inherent unfairness of the trial process, Amnesty International said today.

In proceedings that lasted less than five minutes, the military-run National Safety Court of Appeal in Manama confirmed life sentences for seven of the defendants and shorter jail sentences for 14 others – seven of whom were tried in absentia.

The defendants were appealing the verdict and prison sentences handed down by the National Safety Court of First Instance, also a military court, in June on charges they wanted to change the political system and incited violence during peaceful pro-reform protests earlier this year. They all deny the charges.

“By upholding this verdict, Bahrain’s military justice system has once again shown it has no intention of meeting international fair trial standards for anyone the authorities perceive as a political foe,” said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.

“These men should never have been brought before a military court.”

According to an observer present in the court room, the defendants were brought before the judge in civilian clothing, raising hopes that they might be released.

Officials prevented the defendants from speaking to relatives who were in the court room, possibly to punish them for launching a hunger-strike last Saturday over the Bahraini security forces’ detention of 45 women and girls during protests the day before.

After the ruling, the defendants were allowed to meet privately with their defence lawyers, who plan to lodge an appeal before Bahrain’s Court of Cassation, in the civilian justice system. However, the Court of Cassation will only examine procedural matters and will not look into the substance of the charges, the evidence presented, or allegations of torture by some of the defendants.

The Bahraini authorities have not initiated any independent and impartial investigation into allegations of torture made by some of the defendants in this case, including ‘Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, a prominent human right activist.

“After today’s all-too-predictable outcome, it is high time for Bahrain’s King, Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa, to end this travesty once and for all by ordering the immediate release of the defendants or, failing that, their fair re-trial before a properly constituted civilian court,” said Malcolm Smart. ...source

Bahrain upholds life sentences for Shia activists
28 September 2011 – BBC

A military court in Bahrain has upheld life sentences for eight Shia activists convicted over their role in protests earlier this year.

It also upheld sentences of up to 15 years on 13 other activists.

Security forces crushed a protest movement calling for more rights for the country’s Shia majority in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.

However, skirmishes are reported regularly as protesters try to keep their movement alive.

The 21 suspects were convicted in June for “forming a terrorist group to change the constitution and its monarchical system”, as well as inciting sectarian hatred, organising unlicensed protests.

Authorities also accused them of collaborating with “a terror group colluding with a foreign country” – in an apparent reference to Iran.

Bahraini opposition leaders deny any ties to Iran and accuse leaders of using these allegations to detain Shia activists.

Seven of the suspects were sentenced in absentia. Bahrain’s official news agency, BNA, said those sentenced could still appeal in a civilian court.

International human rights groups have condemned the convictions. They have also raised concerns about the torture and abuse of detainees.

Bahrain’s Shia have long complained of systematic discrimination.

A wave of peaceful protests swept the country in February and March, but they were put down by force by the government, which called in troops from neighbouring Gulf states.

On Saturday, Bahrain’s Shia opposition boycotted by-elections held to replace 18 Shia deputies from the main opposition movement, Al-Wifaq. …source