Bahrain sentences 11 protesters to jail

A court in Bahrain has sentenced eleven anti-regime protesters to five years in prison as pressure on dissidents mounts in the country.

On Monday, the court convicted the men of 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.
The incident marks the latest in a series of harsh sentences handed down to protesters in the Persian Gulf nation.
On April 6, a court in Bahrain sentenced seven anti-regime protesters 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.
On April 2, a court in Manama sentenced nine people, including teenagers, to jail terms ranging from five to ten years each on charges of attacking police during anti-regime rallies.