Bahrain Shia activists given life

The activists were tried by a special security court

Bahrain has sentenced eight Shia activists to life in jail for plotting to overthrow the government, the state news agency BNA reports.

They were among 21 opposition figures tried by a special security court. Others got sentences of up to 15 years.

Ahead of the verdict, Shia protesters blocked roads and staged rallies.

Bahrain’s mainly Shia protesters have been calling for democratic reforms and more rights for the country’s Shia majority in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.

In addition to the life sentences, 10 activists were given 15 years in jail, two others were given five years and one man received a one-year jail term.

Fourteen of the activists appeared in the military court, while the rest were sentenced in absentia.

The authorities claim that they plotted to overthrow Bahrain’s Sunni rulers “by force and intelligence with a terror group colluding with a foreign country” – in an apparent reference to Iran.

Ahead of the trial, witnesses told the AP news agency that Shia demonstrators made roadblocks with sand and debris, and called for marches to oppose the trial. No violence was reported.

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