Bahraini activist handed jail term

An ad hoc Bahraini court has convicted a human rights activist of attempted murder of a policeman, handing him down a five-year prison sentence.

The sentence was issued against Abdullah Mohammed Habib on Thursday, the Associated Press reported. The court was set up in March — the month, when the government imposed a martial law against the popular revolution in Bahrain.

Late last month, four demonstrators were sentenced to death by a military court for the alleged killing of two police officers during the protests.

Anti-government protesters have been holding peaceful demonstrations across Bahrain since mid-February, calling for an end to the over-40-year rule of the Al Khalifa dynasty.

On March 14, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates deployed police and military forces in the kingdom at Manama’s request to help quell the nationwide protests.

According to local sources, scores of of people have been killed and hundreds arrested so far during the clampdown on peaceful protests.

The foreign deployments are reported to have contributed to a rise in the violence against the protesting public.

Recent reports say Riyadh is sending more troops to Bahrain ahead of planned anti-government rallies there.

The 14th of February Youth — an opposition group named after the day when the revolution began — has called Friday “the Day of Sacred Defense,” when the public is expected to stage mass protests.

In recent developments, several people have been arrested throughout the Persian Gulf kingdom, including three in the village of Karzakan.

A large fire has also been reported in the town of Sitra after an early-morning raid on factories by regime forces.