Human rights groups rap Bahrain for jailing activists

Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Americans for Democracy and Human Rights, and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy have expressed severe concern over the recent sentencing of human rights activist Mohammed Al-Maskati and other similar verdicts.

On December 31, Maskati was sentenced to six-months in jail for participating in what Manama regards as illegal protests.

During the same trial another human rights activist, Nader Abdel-Imam, was also sentenced to six months in jail, which will be added to his previous jail term for publishing a post on a social media website.

The rights groups urged the European Union, United Nations and Western allies of the Bahraini regime to pressure Al Khalifa into releasing the activists.

Over the past four years, thousands of anti-regime protesters have held numerous demonstrations in the streets of Bahrain, calling for the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power.

Many Bahrainis have been tortured or killed and hundreds more injured and arrested during the regime’s ongoing crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.

However, the UK and the US have continued support for the Bahraini government and kept silence over Manama regime’s violent crackdown on the popular protests.

HK