By REUTERS
Manama Bahrain
Manama Bahrain
Bahrain sentenced 10 Shiite prominent activists and opposition leaders to life in prison on Wednesday on charges of plotting a coup during protests that rocked the Sunni-ruled Gulf island kingdom earlier this year.
The sentencing could inflame already simmering tensions in the tiny Gulf Arab state, where small protests have erupted daily since emergency law was lifted on June 1 and may threaten a national dialogue planned to start next month.
Among those who received life sentences was Shiite dissident Hassan Mushaimaa, leader of hardline opposition group Haq. His group joined two others in calling for the overthrow of Bahrain’s monarchy during mass protests in February and March.
The sentencing could inflame already simmering tensions in the tiny Gulf Arab state, where small protests have erupted daily since emergency law was lifted on June 1 and may threaten a national dialogue planned to start next month.
Among those who received life sentences was Shiite dissident Hassan Mushaimaa, leader of hardline opposition group Haq. His group joined two others in calling for the overthrow of Bahrain’s monarchy during mass protests in February and March.
Ibrahim Sharif, the Sunni leader of the secular leftist Waad party, was sentenced to five years in prison. Waad and Bahrain’s largest Shiite opposition group Wefaq had called for a reform of the kingdom’s monarchy.
The defendants were defiant after the verdict, vowing to continue “peaceful” opposition to the royal family.
Witnesses said the defendants pumped their fists in the air and shouted “peacefully” as guards dragged them away from the courtroom. Relatives shouted “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is greatest.”
Bahrain’s state news agency previously said the 21 defendants were accused of involvement in “an attempt to overthrow the government by force in liaison with a terrorist organization working for a foreign country”.
Bahrain’s Sunni rulers in March crushed weeks of protests led mostly by the Shiite majority, backed by troops from neighboring Sunni Gulf countries. The government says the protests had a sectarian agenda backed by Shiite power Iran.
The opposition argues the charges aim to distract Bahrain’s ally the United States, which has its Navy’s Fifth Fleet in the country, from activists’ calls for democratic reform.
The defendants were defiant after the verdict, vowing to continue “peaceful” opposition to the royal family.
Witnesses said the defendants pumped their fists in the air and shouted “peacefully” as guards dragged them away from the courtroom. Relatives shouted “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is greatest.”
Bahrain’s state news agency previously said the 21 defendants were accused of involvement in “an attempt to overthrow the government by force in liaison with a terrorist organization working for a foreign country”.
Bahrain’s Sunni rulers in March crushed weeks of protests led mostly by the Shiite majority, backed by troops from neighboring Sunni Gulf countries. The government says the protests had a sectarian agenda backed by Shiite power Iran.
The opposition argues the charges aim to distract Bahrain’s ally the United States, which has its Navy’s Fifth Fleet in the country, from activists’ calls for democratic reform.
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