Manama: A court in Bahrain on Tuesday sentenced two policemen to ten years in jail each for their role in the death of a demonstrator in 2011.
The court however acquitted the two policemen and three others in the death of another demonstrator.
The five policemen were prosecuted following an investigation by the interior ministry into the deaths of Ali Saqer and Zakariya Al Asheri.
According to the report by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Investigation (BICI), an international panel that looked into the events that unfolded in Bahrain in February and March 2011 and their consequences, Saqer was pronounced dead on April 9, 2011. His death certificate stated that the cause of his death was hypovolemic shock resulting from several traumas.
The report added that the interior ministry on May 25, 2011, “referred charges against five personnel to the military court”.
“Two of the accused are charged with manslaughter, while the other three are charged with failing to report a crime. All five are charged with engaging in action contrary to military dignity,” the report released in November 2011 said.
The BICI concluded that Saqer’s death was attributable to mistreatment while in custody.
Al Asheri was pronounced dead on April 9, 2011. The investigation into his death has resulted in the prosecution of five policemen, the BICI said.
The interior ministry has regularly pledged to prosecute all personnel found guilty of abusing their authority.