Bahrainis demand release of jailed political prisoners / Top court upholds sentences against 13 activists

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Bahraini protesters have held an anti-regime demonstration in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom to express solidarity with jailed human rights activists and demand their immediate release.On Sunday, protesters took to the streets in the village of Sanabis, west of the capital Manama, and shouted anti-government slogans in defiance of a heavy-handed security crackdown, AFP reported.The demonstrators demanded the release of all political prisoners and demanded that King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa step down from power.Meanwhile Bahrain’s highest court has upheld sentences handed down to 13 prominent political activists for organizing demonstrations against the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty. The Bahraini revolution began in mid-February 2011, when the people, inspired by the popular revolutions that toppled the dictators of Tunisia and Egypt, started holding massive demonstrations.The Bahraini government promptly launched a brutal crackdown on the peaceful protests and called in Saudi-led Arab forces from neighboring states.Dozens of people have been killed in the crackdown. Security forces have arrested hundreds of people, including doctors and nurses, accused of treating injured revolutionaries.A report published by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry in November 2011, found that the Al Khalifa regime had used excessive force in the crackdown and accused Manama of torturing political activists, politicians, and protesters.The protesters say they will continue holding anti-regime demonstrations until their demand for the establishment of a democratically elected government is met. /129