Hizbullah Slams World 'Silence' on Bahrain Activists Life Terms

Hizbullah on Thursday condemned life jail terms imposed in Bahrain against Shiite opposition activists who have taken part in anti-government protests in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.

“These repressive measures expose the mentality of the Bahraini authorities, which rejects any attempt to reform the political system, and highlight the falsehood of their claims on seeking dialogue with the Bahraini people’s representatives, who are being dragged to jails and subjected to oppression and torture,” Hizbullah said in a statement.

The Shiite party accused the Bahraini authorities of dragging the kingdom into a dilemma “with the support of outside forces seeking to perpetuate their dominance over Bahrain’s decision.”

“While the international community should firmly and robustly stand in the face of these repressive measures, deafening silence is reigning over the international institutions and the influential nations in the world order, which claim keenness on human rights and freedoms, in a manner that exposes their hypocrite behavior and double-standards policy,” Hizbullah added.

A Bahraini court sentenced eight Shiite opposition activists to life in prison Wednesday for "plotting to overthrow" the kingdom's Sunni rulers, nearly a week ahead of a national dialogue proposed by the king.

The National Safety Court of first instance also jailed 13 others for two to 15 years on similar charges, state news agency BNA added.

A member of Bahrain's largest Shiite formation, the Islamic National Accord Association (Al-Wefaq), slammed the sentence as contradicting King Hamad's calls for dialogue, set to begin on July 1.

The verdicts drew an expression of concern from Washington, which stations its Fifth Fleet in the small but strategic Gulf archipelago.

The kingdom said in an English-language statement by the Information Affairs Authority late on Wednesday that the "sentencing sends a message that law and order will be preserved."

This will reassure "the majority of the population of Bahrain that their security will not be allowed to be compromised by violence or attempts to overthrow the regime or by the calling for the establishment of an Islamic republic," it added.

The Gulf kingdom's government reiterated its calls for national dialogue.

"Those who attend the dialogue will show leadership and distance themselves from the radical elements and therefore prove to the international community that the majority believes in this inclusive forum to pave a better future," it said.

The defendants "do not represent any significant number of the population who actually believe that the way forward is through dialogue and peaceful means," it added.

Khalil Marzouq, a member of Al-Wefaq has slammed the sentences as contradictory to the king's calls for dialogue.

"There are political forces, some of whom have received harsh sentences today, which have not been invited for dialogue," said Marzooq in excerpts of a speech he gave at a press conference in Manama posted on Al-Wefaq's Facebook page. "How will there be a dialogue without those figures?"

U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said: "We are concerned about the severity of the sentences handed down ... in Bahrain. We're also concerned about the use of military courts to try these civilians."

"Such steps are at odds with the universal rights of Bahrain's citizens," he told reporters.

And U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon on Thursday hit out at what he called the "harsh" life jail terms imposed in Bahrain.

Ban urged the Bahraini authorities to “allow all defendants to exercise their right to appeal and to act in strict accordance with their international human rights obligations, including the right to due process and a fair trial."

He also called on the authorities to "do everything possible to create an environment conducive for the start of a concrete national dialogue.

But Bahrain's government said "the nature of recent incidents and the threat to national security makes the Law of National Safety a legitimate means to prosecute the perpetrators in a court, where they had access to legal counsel and representation, for bringing the country to the brink of total anarchy."

Scores more activists are facing trial on charges linked to Shiite-led protests that rocked the kingdom for a month from mid-February, in the semi-martial court set up under a "state of national safety" decreed by King Hamad.

Bahrain's interior ministry said 24 people, including four policemen, were killed in the unrest. The opposition said scores were arrested, amid widespread allegations of torture, while hundreds were dismissed from their jobs.

Four people have been sentenced to death and three others to life in prison over the killing of two policemen during the protests. Nine others were jailed for 20 years after being convicted of abducting a policeman.