Bahrain upholds jail terms

Lawyer Mohammed al-Jishi said the appeal rejection by Bahrain's Court of Cassation was final. The jail terms, ranging from five years to life in prison, were originally handed down by a military court in 2011 and endorsed by a civilian court in September last year.

Among those sentenced for life is the prominent activist Abdulhadi Khawaja, who last year staged a 110-day hunger strike.

Others jailed for life include the leader of the Shiite opposition Haq movement Hassan Mashaima.

"There are no more appeals possible, it is the last stage of litigation," al-Jishi told the news agency Reuters by telephone from Manama.

Brian Dooley of US-based group Human Rights First accused Bahrain authorities of blocking a chance for political improvements.

"It confirms that the Bahrain regime is refusing to take its chances to reform and seems to be deepening its own human rights crisis," Dooley said.

Spring protests suppressed

In February 2011 - during a wave of revolt across the Arab world - Bahrain's majority Shiite Moslems began protests to press demands that the government be drawn from an elected majority in parliament. Mashaima advocated that Bahrain be turned into a republic.

Bahrain authorities accused the protestors of being exploited by Shiite Iran across the Gulf. At least 80 people died at the start of the unrest, according to the International Federation of Human Rights.

Twenty uprising leaders were sentenced but only 13 filed appeals. The remaining seven men were tried in absentia because they were out of the country or in hiding, al-Jishi said.

Sunni-ruled Bahrain is the base of the US navy's Fifth Fleet, which is sited strategically close to Iran.

Sporadic Shiite-led demonstrations followed the crushing of the protest movement in March 2011, mainly outside the capital Manama. The Bahrain government denied Shi'ite accusations that they face discrimination.

ipj/rc (AFP, Reuters)