Military court upholds death sentences for two protesters

A Bahraini military appeals court on Sunday upheld the death sentences passed earlier this month for two protesters accused of killing two policemen during pro-democracy demonstrations in March, DPA reported .

Two others facing death by firing squad had their sentences reduced to life imprisonment, state media reported. Three other protesters linked to the deaths were also sentenced to life in prison.

The protesters are accused of running over two policemen on March 16 after security forces stormed Lulu Roundabout, the focal point of anti-government protests in the capital, Manama.

The case is still to be reviewed by an upper civilian court, before going before Bahrain King Sheikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa.

The European Union has called for a halt to the executions, with human right groups condemning the trial as unjust, saying the protesters were only allowed limited access to trial proceedings and legal counsel.

The seven protesters had pleaded not guilty to the charges, but pre-recorded confessions were aired on state television after the verdict was announced.

Following the first verdict, opposition group Al Wefaq expressed concerns that the confessions were obtained under torture and called on international human rights groups to pressure the Bahraini government to open the trials to the public.

"The accused were tried before a special military court, although they are civilians. It also appears that the trial was conducted behind closed doors ... Those sentenced have no right of appeal except to another special military court, raising great fears about the fairness of the entire process," said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International's director for the Middle East and North Africa, after the first verdict.

At least 30 people have been killed in the government crackdown on protesters, which included the use of live ammunition, activists said. More than 400 people were arrested, and more than 1,500 were sacked from their jobs for taking part in the anti-government rallies.

Protests demanding political reform and greater freedoms in Sunni-ruled, Shiite-majority Bahrain began on February 14.

Bahrain, which is home to the US Navy 5th Fleet, and other Sunni-ruled countries in the region have accused Shiite-led Iran of meddling in the country's internal affairs.

US President Barack Obama last week criticized the crackdown against pro-reform protesters: "We have insisted both publicly and privately that mass arrests and brute force are at odds with the universal rights of Bahrain's citizens ... and such steps will not make legitimate calls for reform go away.

"The only way forward is for the government and opposition to engage in a dialogue, and you can't have a real dialogue when parts of the peaceful opposition are in jail."