Alwaght- The Bahraini regime has sentenced two pro-democracy activists to five years in prison and revoked their citizenship as the ruling Al Khalifah monarchy pushes ahead with brutal crackdown on dissent in the Persian Gulf kingdom.
On Saturday, Bahrain's Supreme Court of Appeal found the defendants guilty of “training in the use of weapons and munitions, in addition to the possession of a firearm without the authorization of the Ministry of Interior for terrorist purposes." Bahraini pro-democracy activists have dismissed the charges saying they are trumped-up.
The west-backed Bahraini regime has stepped up crackdown on political dissent in the wake of US President Donald Trump's meeting with Bahraini Ruler King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah during a summit in the Saudi capital city Riyadh in late May.
On Monday, a High Military Court in Bahrain issued a verdict in a high profile case of 18 pro-democracy activists, with six sentenced to death.
The Military High Court found the defendants guilty of “forming a terror cell, attempting to assassinate Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifah and committing other acts of terror.”
The trial was the first of its kind since constitutional amendments were passed allowing military courts to try civilians accused of threatening the security of the state.
Thousands of anti-regime protesters have held demonstrations in Bahrain on an almost daily basis ever since a popular uprising began in the country in mid-February 2011.
They are demanding that the Al Khalifah dynasty relinquish power and allow a just system representing all Bahrainis to be established.
Manama has gone to great lengths to clamp down on any sign of dissent. On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to assist Bahrain in its crackdown.
Many people have lost their lives and hundreds of others sustained injuries or got arrested as a result of the Al Khalifah regime’s crackdown
