Bahraini court jails nearly 170 people in crackdown on dissent

A court in Bahrain has handed down prison sentences to 167 Shiaa protesters as the ruling Al Khalifah regime does not shy away from its heavy clampdown on political dissidents and pro-democracy activists in the tiny Gulf kingdom.

A court in Bahrain has handed down prison sentences to 167 Shiaa protesters as the ruling Al Khalifah regime does not shy away from its heavy clampdown on political dissidents and pro-democracy activists in the tiny Gulf kingdom.

The High Criminal Court sentenced 56 of the defendants to ten years in jail each after finding them guilty of “attacks on police officers.” The remaining majority of defendants received one-year terms. The court acquitted four people in the case.

Court documents obtained by Reuters showed that the sentences had been handed to the defendants at a trial on February 27.