On Thursday, Bahrain sentenced nine people to 20 years in prison on charges of trying to murder a policeman, says the BBC. A well-known Shia cleric and opposition figure, Mohammed Habib al-Saffaf, was among those arrested. They were illegally sentenced by the Lower National Safety Court, a special security court presided over by civil and military judges, that was set up in mid-March.
Last month, four Shia protesters were sentenced to death and three others to jail for life on charges of killing two policemen by running them over with cars during the protests. On Monday, seven anti-government protesters received sentences ranging from one to three years because of their participation in anti-government protests earlier this year. Amnesty International has condemned their sentences. Says Malcolm Smart, the group's Middle East and north Africa director:
"These trials and convictions represent yet further evidence of the extent to which the rights to freedom of speech and assembly are now being denied in Bahrain."
Since anti-government demonstrations began in February, 32 proesters killed which four of protesters have died in Bahraini police custody. 47 Bahraini medical workers -- 23 doctors and 24 nurses -- have also been imprisoned and charged with acting against the state for treating pro-democracy protesters injured in the demonstrations. They are to be tried in a military court on charges that are tantamount to saying they have committed treason against the government.
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