Bahrain court upholds jail for 13 oppn leaders
8 Jan 2013 6:15 AM IST
Bahrain’s highest appeals court on Monday upheld jail terms against 13 prominent activists, seven of whom are facing life in prison, over charges of plotting to overthrow the Gulf monarchy, lawyers said.
The Court of Cassation rejected the final appeal by the 13 opposition leaders, the lawyers said.
Among those sentenced to life is well-known activist Abdulhadi Khawaja who in June ended a 110-day hunger strike.
Two others sentenced to life are Hassan Mashaima, head of the Shiite opposition Haq movement and Abduljalil al-Singace, a member of the same group.
The activists took part in 2011 anti-government protests and were convicted by a military tribunal on charges that included ‘setting up terror groups to topple the regime’.
The defendants were retried in a civil court.
In September, a lower appeals court upheld life sentences for seven of the activists, all Shiites, including Khawaja, Mashaima and Singace, and jail terms ranging from five to 15 years for the others.
Since February 2011, Bahrain has been shaken by opposition protests that the authorities accuse of being exploited by Shiite Iran across the Gulf.
The Court of Cassation rejected the final appeal by the 13 opposition leaders, the lawyers said.
Among those sentenced to life is well-known activist Abdulhadi Khawaja who in June ended a 110-day hunger strike.
Two others sentenced to life are Hassan Mashaima, head of the Shiite opposition Haq movement and Abduljalil al-Singace, a member of the same group.
The activists took part in 2011 anti-government protests and were convicted by a military tribunal on charges that included ‘setting up terror groups to topple the regime’.
The defendants were retried in a civil court.
In September, a lower appeals court upheld life sentences for seven of the activists, all Shiites, including Khawaja, Mashaima and Singace, and jail terms ranging from five to 15 years for the others.
Since February 2011, Bahrain has been shaken by opposition protests that the authorities accuse of being exploited by Shiite Iran across the Gulf.
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