SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
'Blow to Justice': Bahraini Court Upholds Sentences for Activists
Sep 04, 2012
An appeal court's ruling in Bahrain to uphold the sentences of 13 opposition activists on Tuesday, including seven who face life in prison, has been slammed by rights activists.
"Today's ruling is a clear proof of the fake justice in Bahrain," said the main opposition groups in a statement.
"Those are politically motivated verdicts that have no judicial value, because they have been based on a vindictive methodology," they said.
"There is no state in Bahrain. It is a tyrannical authority, and an oppressive government that tries to look like a (political) system while hiding security apparatuses that terrorize the people to silence its demands for democracy."
The Guardian's Ian Black reports that "The men, who include activists Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and Ebrahim Sharif, were originally sentenced last summer to between two years and life in prison. The charges included espionage and 'setting up terror groups to topple the royal regime and change the constitution.' They later appealed in a civilian court. All the men maintain their innocence and are expected to appeal to the supreme court."
Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui slammed the verdict as a "blow to justice."
"Today's court decision is another blow to justice and it shows once more that the Bahraini authorities are not on the path of reform but seem rather driven by vindictiveness.
"Today's verdict further engulfs Bahrain in injustice. Instead of upholding the sentences, ranging from five years to life in prison, the Bahraini authorities must quash the convictions for the 13 men who are imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising their human rights and release them immediately and unconditionally," stated Sahraoui.
Brian Dooley of Human Rights First also criticized the upholding of the sentences. "The crackdown in Bahrain continues in the courts and on the streets. The denial of the men's appeals shows the regime has little intention to reform. Bahraini government claims that they are on the path to human rights progress appear to be a sham," stated Dooley.
Despite the Bahraini regime's brutal crackdown on protests, the U.S. has sold the country millions of dollars in arms.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
An appeal court's ruling in Bahrain to uphold the sentences of 13 opposition activists on Tuesday, including seven who face life in prison, has been slammed by rights activists.
"Today's ruling is a clear proof of the fake justice in Bahrain," said the main opposition groups in a statement.
"Those are politically motivated verdicts that have no judicial value, because they have been based on a vindictive methodology," they said.
"There is no state in Bahrain. It is a tyrannical authority, and an oppressive government that tries to look like a (political) system while hiding security apparatuses that terrorize the people to silence its demands for democracy."
The Guardian's Ian Black reports that "The men, who include activists Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and Ebrahim Sharif, were originally sentenced last summer to between two years and life in prison. The charges included espionage and 'setting up terror groups to topple the royal regime and change the constitution.' They later appealed in a civilian court. All the men maintain their innocence and are expected to appeal to the supreme court."
Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui slammed the verdict as a "blow to justice."
"Today's court decision is another blow to justice and it shows once more that the Bahraini authorities are not on the path of reform but seem rather driven by vindictiveness.
"Today's verdict further engulfs Bahrain in injustice. Instead of upholding the sentences, ranging from five years to life in prison, the Bahraini authorities must quash the convictions for the 13 men who are imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising their human rights and release them immediately and unconditionally," stated Sahraoui.
Brian Dooley of Human Rights First also criticized the upholding of the sentences. "The crackdown in Bahrain continues in the courts and on the streets. The denial of the men's appeals shows the regime has little intention to reform. Bahraini government claims that they are on the path to human rights progress appear to be a sham," stated Dooley.
Despite the Bahraini regime's brutal crackdown on protests, the U.S. has sold the country millions of dollars in arms.
An appeal court's ruling in Bahrain to uphold the sentences of 13 opposition activists on Tuesday, including seven who face life in prison, has been slammed by rights activists.
"Today's ruling is a clear proof of the fake justice in Bahrain," said the main opposition groups in a statement.
"Those are politically motivated verdicts that have no judicial value, because they have been based on a vindictive methodology," they said.
"There is no state in Bahrain. It is a tyrannical authority, and an oppressive government that tries to look like a (political) system while hiding security apparatuses that terrorize the people to silence its demands for democracy."
The Guardian's Ian Black reports that "The men, who include activists Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and Ebrahim Sharif, were originally sentenced last summer to between two years and life in prison. The charges included espionage and 'setting up terror groups to topple the royal regime and change the constitution.' They later appealed in a civilian court. All the men maintain their innocence and are expected to appeal to the supreme court."
Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui slammed the verdict as a "blow to justice."
"Today's court decision is another blow to justice and it shows once more that the Bahraini authorities are not on the path of reform but seem rather driven by vindictiveness.
"Today's verdict further engulfs Bahrain in injustice. Instead of upholding the sentences, ranging from five years to life in prison, the Bahraini authorities must quash the convictions for the 13 men who are imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising their human rights and release them immediately and unconditionally," stated Sahraoui.
Brian Dooley of Human Rights First also criticized the upholding of the sentences. "The crackdown in Bahrain continues in the courts and on the streets. The denial of the men's appeals shows the regime has little intention to reform. Bahraini government claims that they are on the path to human rights progress appear to be a sham," stated Dooley.
Despite the Bahraini regime's brutal crackdown on protests, the U.S. has sold the country millions of dollars in arms.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy