News / Persian Gulf

Bahraini court gives jail terms to four protesters

Wednesday, 10 February 2016 8:30 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 14 February 2016 12:34 PM ]

Bahraini police forces fire tear gas at anti-government protesters on the island of Sitra, January 29, 2016. (Photo by AP)

A court in Bahrain has sentenced four anti-regime protesters to 10 years in prison each over their alleged role in an attack on police forces in the Persian Gulf Arab kingdom.

The verdict was announced on Wednesday. No further details have been released yet.

In another development, the European-Bahraini Organization for Human Rights has condemned the continued imprisonment of Bahraini journalist Ahmed al-Fardan, describing it as the suppression of freedom of thought and expression.

Fardan was arrested in December 2013 after his photos of the popular uprising in Bahrain were published by various media outlets.

This photo of an anti-government protester by Ahmed al-Fardan won first place in Freedom House’s annual photo contest in April 2013.

Also on Wednesday, the International Center for Supporting Rights and Freedoms urged the release of prominent Bahraini opposition figure Mohammed Jawad Pervez who is struggling with illness and health problems.

The center called on international and regional human rights organizations to do their best to defend Bahraini people’s rights.

Since mid-February 2011, thousands of anti-regime protesters have held numerous demonstrations on the streets of Bahrain, calling on the Al Khalifa family to relinquish power. Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in an ongoing regime crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.

Among those arrested are opposition figure al-Wefaq National Islamic Society Secretary General Sheikh Ali Salman and prominent Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab.

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