Bahraini Court Confirms Death Sentences and Life Imprisonment for 10 Bombing Suspects

A court in Bahrain confirmed three death sentences and seven life imprisonment sentences for suspects involved in a bombing in 2014 on Sunday, but postponed the appeal hearing for Sheikh Ali Salman, the leader of the Al-Wefaq movement. According to AFP, the 10 defendants whose sentences were confirmed on Sunday were accused of a bombing in a village west of Manama in March 2014, which resulted in the deaths of two Bahraini police officers and an Emirati officer. The Emirati officer was part of a military contingent that entered Bahrain in March 2011, led by Saudi Arabia. These defendants had previously lost their Bahraini citizenship due to the court's ruling. The same appeals court has postponed the review of the case of opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman to December 13. Bahrain has detained Sheikh Ali Salman, the leader of Al-Wefaq, since December 2014. Initially sentenced to four years in prison, his sentence was increased to nine years in the spring of this year after the appeals court added the charge of 'attempting to change the government by force.' Ultimately, in October of this year, the Bahraini Supreme Court overturned the nine-year sentence for Mr. Salman, ruling that the court must reconvene to address his charges. Mr. Salman attended the appeal session on Sunday for just one minute, and his case is set for re-examination on December 13. Meanwhile, in another session held on Sunday, the court confirmed life sentences for four individuals and a 15-year prison sentence for six others, while acquitting 14 others of their charges. All of these individuals were accused of forming an armed group called Jish al-Imam and spying for Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The majority of Bahrain's population is Shia, while the rulers of the country belong to the Sunni minority. The Bahraini government's actions against Shia opponents have drawn criticism not only from Iran, as a Shia-majority country supporting the opposition, but also from the UN Secretary-General and Bahrain's allies in the United States and the United Kingdom. International human rights organizations have also criticized the Bahraini government for its harsh treatment of dissenters in recent years.