DUBAI: A Bahraini court yesterday jailed 16 Shias for life and two others 10 years for an attack that wounded two policemen in a village near Manama, a judicial source said.
Authorities in the kingdom increased last year the penalties for those convicted of violence, introducing the death penalty or life sentences in certain cases. Those sentenced yesterday were charged with “possessing molotov cocktails and using them to attack police” in the Shia village of Athari earlier this month, the source said. They were also accused of “burning down a vehicle belonging to the interior ministry” and “taking part in an unauthorised protest”.
Bahrain remains deeply divided three years after a quashed uprising, with persistent protests sparking clashes with police, scores of Shias jailed on “terror” charges and reconciliation talks deadlocked. AFP
