Bahrain to Lift State of Emergency on June 1

King Hamad on Sunday ordered an early end to Bahrain's state of emergency declared in mid-March to tackle Shiite-led protests, as leading opposition figures went on trial in a court set up under the law.

The announcement came as top opposition figures appeared in the court to face charges of trying to topple the ruling Sunni monarchy and of forming a terrorist organization.

"The state of national safety is to be lifted by June 1st across the kingdom of Bahrain," said a decree issued by King Hamad, according to BNA state news agency.

The three-month state of emergency was due to be lifted on June 15 and was imposed after the kingdom called in troops from neighboring Gulf states to help quash anti-regime protests.

It was declared on March 15 and gave the commander of the Bahraini armed forces a mandate "to take the measures and procedures necessary to preserve the safety of the nation and its people."

A day earlier, Gulf troops in armored cars rolled in from across the causeway linking Bahrain to Saudi Arabia to help Manama tackle pro-democracy protests which shook the kingdom.

Under the state of emergency, Bahraini security forces cracked down on Shiite villages and arrested hundreds of people, many of whom have been referred to the special courts. Security forces also rounded up several opposition leaders.

Authorities said 24 people, including four policemen, were killed in the unrest.

On Sunday, 14 out of 21 people accused of plotting to topple the monarchy and forming a terrorist group appeared in the court, while the remaining seven went on trial in absentia.

Ibrahim Sharif, the Sunni leader of Waed secular group, who played a prominent role in the protest, was among the defendants in court, BNA said.

Shiite opposition Haq movement head Hassan Mashaima and Abdul Wahab Hussein, leader of Shiite movement Wafa Islamic, and Shiite rights activist Abdul Hadi al-Khawaja were also in the dock.

Only their lawyers and two members of each family of the accused were authorized to attend the trial, for which the next hearing was set for Thursday, Bahraini rights activist Nabil Rajab told Agence France Presse.

BNA said the defendants were being tried by a special court made up of two civil and one military judge, on charges filed by Bahrain's military prosecutor.

Bahraini security forces on March 16 forcibly expelled protesters from Manama's Pearl Square, the focal point of demonstrations.

The unrest in Bahrain escalated tension between the Arab monarchies of the Gulf and their Shiite neighbor Iran, which slammed the heavy-handed crackdown on co-religionists in the kingdom.

Tehran has repeatedly called for a pullout of Gulf troops from Bahrain and urged Manama to respond to the "legitimate" demands of protesters.

On Sunday, Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi warned during a visit to the United Arab Emirates that the continued presence of Gulf troops would "intensify the crisis."

Gulf nations, meanwhile, have called on Tehran not to meddle in Bahraini affairs, while Manama and Tehran have mutually expelled diplomats.