Al Khalifa Military Court Sentences 6 Activists to Death
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A court in Bahrain sentenced six people to death over alleged involvement in terror acts as the Al Khalifa regime presses ahead with its heavy-handed crackdown on pro-democracy campaigners in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom.
A High Military Court in Bahrain on Monday issued the verdicts against the suspects over alleged charges of trying to assassinate a top military commander in the country.
"The defendants were accused with the formation of a terrorist cell, attempting to assassinate the Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) Commander-in-Chief and committing other terrorist crimes," claimed a statement posted on Bahrain News Agency.
The court also convicted and sentenced seven defendants to seven years' incarceration and stripped their Bahraini nationality, and acquitted five others.
The trial is the first of its kind since constitutional amendments were passed allowing military courts to try civilians accused of threatening the security of the state.
Bahrain, a close ally of the US in the Persian Gulf region, has been witnessing almost daily protests against the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011, with Manama using heavy-handed measures in an attempt to crush the demonstrations.
Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on the peaceful demonstrations.
