14 Bahrain activists get life terms over policeman’s death

Dubai: A Bahrain court sentenced 14 activists to life in prison on Wednesday over the death of a policeman in an anti-government protest in the Gulf kingdom, a judicial source said.

The 14 were found guilty of ‘premeditated murder’, possessing petrol bombs and explosives and taking part in an unauthorised demonstration near the capital Manama, the source added.

They were arrested during a protest on July 3 last year at Sitra, a predominantly Shiite district.

The policeman was killed when a device that had been placed in a barricade put up by protesters exploded, the source said.

Dozens of Bahraini activists have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms after being convicted of involvement in violent anti-government protests.

The small Gulf state has been rocked since February 2011 by protests led by the Shiite community against the government.

Last year, the authorities stiffened penalties for people convicted of committing acts of violence, introducing the death penalty or life in jail for those found guilty in incidents where there were dead or wounded.