Bahrain Sentences 85 Dissidents To Total of 527 Years In Prison
MEP: The Al Khalifa regime, in yet another attempt to silence voices of dissent, sentenced 85 citizens of the Persian Gulf country to jail terms amounting to 527 years in total, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights said.
The center said over the past week, the Manama regime has handed down prison sentences to 85 citizens on political grounds, the Arabic-language Al-Manar television reported.
Bahraini security forces have also arrested 12 other citizens, including a child, in the past seven days, the report said, adding that the citizenship of 21 individuals has been revoked on political grounds.
It also said during the 7-day period, five dissidents were sentenced to life in prison and two others were sentenced to death.
The moves come amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent in Bahrain with rights groups repeatedly criticizing the regime for handing down long-term sentences to anti-regime protesters and activists in the country.
Bahrain, a close ally of the U.S. 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.
