Bahraini protesters condemn hefty sentences for activists

Bahrainis have taken to the streets in several areas of the Persian Gulf kingdom to vent their anger at the hefty sentences handed down to anti-regime activists amid the Al Khalifah regime’s crackdown on political dissidents.

On Wednesday, demonstrators staged rallies in Sitra Island, Wadyan and the Bilad al-Qadim suburb of the capital Manama, shouting anti-regime slogans and denouncing the latest court rulings that sentenced over a dozen protesters to either death or life imprisonment

In Sadad village demonstrators set fire to the pictures of Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah, according to reports.

In some areas police clashed with protesters and used tear gas to disperse them.

On Wednesday, the High Criminal Court found 10 anti-regime protesters guilty in connection with the discovery of 1.5 tons of ammunition and explosive devices in Nuwaidrat village, located about 10 kilometers (six miles) south of the capital Manama, in late September 2015, Arabic-language Lualua television network reported.

The 10 were sentenced to life imprisonment.

The court also gave a jail term of 10 years to another defendant over the case, and ordered the first three convicts to pay a fine of 300,000 dinars ($797,872).

Also on Monday, Bahrain’s Military High Court sentenced six anti-regime protesters to death and revoked their citizenship.

Since February 14, 2011, thousands of anti-regime protesters have held numerous rallies on an almost daily basis in Bahrain, calling for the Al Khalifah family to relinquish power.

They are demanding that the Al Khalifah dynasty relinquish power and allow a just system representing all Bahrainis to be established.

Manama has gone to great lengths to clamp down on any sign of dissent. On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to assist Bahrain in its crackdown.

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