Bahrain: Court upholds lengthy prison sentences for journalists

The lengthy prison sentences of two journalists have been upheld in Bahrain. Journalistic bloggers Abduljalil Alsingace and Ali Abdel Imam were sentenced in June on a series of charges related to “plotting to topple” the regime, along with 19 other people. The court upheld the life sentence for Alsingace and the 15 year sentence to Abdel Imam. Additionally in Bahrain, granting of ID passes to journalists from daily newspaper Al-Wasat was delayed, preventing the journalists from covering the government’s by-elections on Saturday. The passes would allow journalists to enter and report from polling stations.

 

Bahrain: Eight activists and opposition leaders jailed for life

Eight Shia activists and opposition leaders have been sentenced to life imprisonment in Bahrain. They have been found guilty of  plotting a coup in the Sunni-ruled kingdom during protests in March this year. Protests in response to the setences are expected, reports Al Jazeera English. Those convicted include Shia political leader Hassan Mushaima and the activists Abdulhady al-Khawaja and Abduljalil Al Singace. Thirteen other campaigners received lesser sentences between two and 15 years, reports the Guardian. Among these was Ibrahim Sharif, Sunni leader of the secular leftist group Waad, who was sentenced to five years.