Bahrain Sentences 4 Protesters to Death

 

Three other activists who were also on trial in the same case received sentences of life in prison.

Human rights activists in Bahrain voiced fears that the verdicts could generate a new wave of protests in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom. They also argued that the trial was rendered unfair by a series of legal abuses, including the arrest of one of the defendants’ lawyers, Mohammed al-Tajer, one of Bahrain’s most prominent attorneys. The suspects were also barred from meeting with their families, and the news media were not allowed to cover the trial.

“These verdicts will have a huge negative impact on the Bahraini society,” said Mohamed Maskati, who heads a human rights group in the kingdom. “We fear brutal violence in the days ahead. I am not optimistic at all — especially that there could be more similar verdicts in the near future.”

Other activists refused to talk, citing the wave of arrests that has swept the country in the past two months.

Amnesty International urged Bahrain to not carry out the verdict.

“They must uphold the right to fair trial and they must not use the death penalty under any circumstances,” it said in a statement issued Thursday.

Bahraini authorities said that the defendants had the right to appeal, though Amnesty International and local human rights groups said that the appeal would be insignificant at this point.

“The defendants received all legal rights in line with human rights international laws,” the Bahraini government said in a statement issued Thursday. “The verdict is a clear indication of the community’s utter condemnation of barbarous crimes and a profound commitment to the protection of precious lives.”

Bahrain’s Shiite majority, which has long complained of marginalization by the Sunni ruling elite, took to the streets last month in mass protests and sit-ins demanding reforms, freedoms and equal rights. The king declared martial law and sought the help of Saudi troops to crack down on protests and crush dissent.

At least 30 people were reported killed since the protests started in March, among them four in custody. Human rights activists said they died after they were severely tortured. Bahraini authorities have acknowledged the deaths but have not explained them.

The demonstrations in Bahrain were inspired by the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings, in which both countries’ presidents stepped down under great popular pressure after only a few weeks.

The seven opposition figures in Bahrain were charged in the premeditated murder of government employees. Military prosecutors presented a video that suggested that the protesters had run the policemen over with a car. Lawyers for the accused denied the charges.