The UN human rights office criticizes Bahraini authorities for handing down harsh sentences to opposition activists, saying the rulings bear the marks of “political persecution.”

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, is writing to Bahraini King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa to express her concerns about the heavy jail sentences handed to 21 anti-government activists, her spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said Friday.
“There are serious concerns that the due process rights of the defendants, many of whom are well-known human rights defenders, were not respected, and the trials appear to bear the marks of political persecution,” Shamdasani told a news briefing in Geneva.
On Wednesday, a military court in Bahrain sentenced eight opposition activists to life imprisonment for “plotting to overthrow the ruling system.” Thirteen other activists received sentences of up to 15 years in prison on similar charges. Seven people were sentenced in absentia.
The UN human rights office also criticized Manama for trying civilians in military courts and called for the immediate release of peaceful anti-regime protesters.
“We call for an immediate cessation of trials of civilians in the Court of National Safety, and an immediate release of all peaceful demonstrators who were arrested in the context of the protest movement in February,” Shamdasani said.
She also said that according to reliable sources, Bahraini military courts have convicted more than 100 individuals since March for crimes allegedly committed during anti-government protests.
“We urge the authorities to act in strict accordance with their international human rights obligations, particularly regarding the right to due process and a fair trial,” Shamdasani added.
Pillay's condemnation of Bahrain's harsh trials against anti-regime protesters is the latest in a string of condemnations.
The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday voiced alarm at the harsh sentences.
Bahraini cleric censures life sentences
Meanwhile, senior Bahraini cleric Sheikh Issa Qasim also criticized the Persian Gulf kingdom's government over the life sentences issued to the opposition activists for participating in anti-regime protests.
“We are all feeling pain, suffering and a sense of depression from the sentencing,” the cleric said in a sermon on Friday.
The largest party and opposition bloc in Bahrain, the Islamic National Accord Association (Al-Wefaq), condemned the sentences.
The bloc said it has “received these sentences with shock, especially as they contradict the call for national dialogue” proposed by Bahraini King Hamad.
“This dialogue says for itself it is a failure… It is difficult to reconcile what is happening on the ground with the call to dialogue,” the cleric was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Anti-regime protesters have been holding peaceful demonstrations across Bahrain since mid-February, calling for an end to the Al Khalifa dynasty's rule over the Persian Gulf kingdom.
In March, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates deployed military forces to Bahrain to help the government crush the nationwide protests.
(Source: Press TV)
Photo: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay
-