19th February 2014

BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

Bahraini man sentenced to death over policeman killing
A court in Bahrain has sentenced one man to death and six others to life imprisonment for the killing of a policeman after a protest last year marking the kingdom's abortive 2011 pro-democracy uprising, local media reported on Wednesday. Two other defendants were given sentences of ve and six years in jail for their role in what state-run media have called a "terrorist attack ... using an incendiary projectile" on the policeman named Mohammed Aasef. The attack last year followed clashes between security forces and demonstrators on the second anniversary of the 2011 uprising by mostly majority Shi'ite Muslims demanding democratic reforms in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, a key U.S. regional ally. Read More The ofcer, Mohamed Atef, died after he was hit by a petrol bomb during a confrontation with protesters near Manama, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported. The protestors were also convicted of participating in an unlicensed protest. Read More prison respectively on similar charges.

Bahrain sentences Shiite protester to death, jails 8

A Bahrain court today sentenced a Shiite protester to death and jailed six others for life after they were convicted of killing a policeman a year ago, a judicial source said. Two others were sentenced to ve and six years in

The ofcer, Mohamed Atef, died on February 14, 2013, after he was hit by a petrol bomb during clashes with protesters in a village near the capital. In addition to killing the policeman, the nine defendants were also convicted of taking part in an "unlicensed protest". Read More Mohammed Atef was hit by a petrol bomb during a protest in the village of alSahla on the second anniversary of the 2011 pro-democracy uprising. On the third anniversary on Friday, another policeman was fatally injured by an explosion at a protest in Dair. Read More

Bahrain jails 8 protestors, sentences one to death

On Wednesday, a Bahrain court jailed eight protestors and sentenced another to death after convicting them of killing a policeman last year. Two of the protestors were sentenced to ve to six years while six were sentenced to life in prison.

Bahrain man 'sentenced to death for killing policeman'

A court in Bahrain is reported to have sentenced one man to death and six others to life in prison for the killing of a policeman a year ago. Two others were jailed for ve and six years for their role in his death.

VIDEO: Bahraini Human Rights Activist Zainab Alkhawaja Freed from Prison, Father Still Behind Bars
On Monday, Democracy Now! spoke to human rights activist Zainab Alkhawaja upon her release from prison by the Bahraini government after nearly a

year behind bars. At that time she faced a return to prison pending her appearance in court today on charges of damaging police property, defacing a picture of the king and insulting a police ofcer. But her sister, Maryam Alkhawaja tweetedtoday that Zainabs case had been postponed until March 3. Alkhawajas father, longtime activist Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, remains behind bars, serving a life sentence. Read More

Ominous Divide: Shiite Iran v Sunni Gulf

Sectarian tensions have become a major part of political life in the Gulf Arab states, particularly in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait. Shiites in each state suffer varying degrees of religious discrimination and political marginalization. Tensions are typically portrayed as a spillover effect of sectarian strife elsewhere in the region (the Iraq War, and, more recently, the Syria conict) or Irans deliberate

incitement of local Shiite communities in the Gulf. But they are only part of the story. The roots of Shiite-Sunni tensions in the Gulf are more complex and ultimately more local. They are deeply woven into the political fabric of individual states. Sectarian identities have been further sharpened by uneven access to political and economic capital, ofcial and quasi-ofcial discrimination, and the absence of truly inclusive governing structures. Read More

Bahrain - Al Arabiya journalists attacked by "extremist minority"

Reporters Without Borders condemns the physical attack that Al Arabiya TV correspondent Mohamed Al-Arab and cameraman Amjad Taha received from a small group of demonstrators in the

northern town of AlBuddaya on 15 February while covering an opposition protest marking the third anniversary of the 2011 uprising. The press freedom organization calls on the Bahraini authorities to investigate the incident thoroughly and to take appropriate measures to protect journalists. Read More