Brutal Bahrain sentences 12 protesters to life in prison

A Bahraini court sentences 12 anti-regime protesters to life in prison as pressure on dissidents mounts in the Persian Gulf country.

According to reports on Tuesday, the Bahraini court sentenced others to 15 years in prison with a fine of 1000 Bahraini dinars.

The court convicted the men of taking part in an unauthorized demonstration in the country.

The incident marks the latest in a series of harsh sentences handed down to protesters in the nation.

On April 14, a court in Bahrain sentenced eleven anti-regime protesters to five years in prison for taking part in an unauthorized demonstration in a village, south of the capital Manama last year. The prosecution also convicted the Bahrainis of assaulting police during the rally.

On April 6, seven anti-regime protesters were also sentenced to 15 years in prison. According to Bahraini judicial sources, the protesters were sentenced for allegedly attacking a Bahraini policeman in the village of Dia near Manama during a demonstration in December 2012.

Since mid-February 2011, thousands of pro-democracy protesters have held numerous demonstrations in the streets of Bahrain, calling for the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power.

On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates invaded the country to assist the Bahraini government in its crackdown on peaceful protesters.

Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds injured and jailed by the regime forces since the uprising broke out.

In February, Amnesty International denounced the “relentless repression” of anti-regime protesters in the Persian Gulf kingdom, blaming Bahraini security forces for their repeated use of “excessive force to quash anti-government protests.”