Bahrain might impose a sentence of 15-year imprisonment for attacking police in the wake of recent escalation of rioting, the interior minister said Saturday, Xinhua reported.
Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa recommended the penalty in a statement and called upon legislators to draft a law in this regard.
He revealed the escalation of rioting over the past few days, 41 cases registered last Tuesday, highlighting that the police have been attacked by rioters using sharp objects and Molotov cocktails. As a result, numerous arrests have been made, he added.
He also suggested the allocation of certain areas for publish gatherings and processions. "Especially in a small country like Bahrain, traffic jams and road blockages must be avoided," he explained.
The minister said that patrolmen assigned to deal with rioting are being mentally and physically rehabilitated through an unprecedented one-year training program, adding that they are also provided with fire-resistant outfits, helmets, gas and sound bombs as well as guns with rubber bullets in line with the regulations and rules of the Public Security Forces Law.