7 Bahrain protesters face trial in military court

[April 18, 2011]  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Seven detained anti-government protesters will go on trial before a Bahrain military court for the killing of two policemen, the state news agency said Monday, the latest development in the crackdown on dissent in the Gulf kingdom.

Hundreds of protesters, opposition leaders and human rights activists have been taken into custody since Bahrain imposed martial law last month in attempts to crush the Shiite-led uprising against the Sunni rulers in the tiny but strategically important island nation that hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

The Bahrain News Agency said a military prosecutor charged seven suspected opposition supporters Sunday with premeditated murder of two policemen.

The seven also face "other charges," the report said. It did not elaborate, except to say the two policemen died after being overrun with a car in the capital Manama. Another hearing in the case is set for Tuesday.

Earlier this month the authorities banned media from covering legal proceedings in the country's military courts. Bahrain's human rights organizations blasted the gag order, saying that trials behind closed doors have no legal credibility.

"If a government decides to hold trials in secret, it is very likely the government is hiding something," said Nabeel Rajab, the head of Bahrain's Human Rights Center.

The seven are the first of the hundreds in custody to have been charged with a crime since Bahrain's military stormed the protesters' encampment in Manama's Pearl Square in an effort to end weeks of street marches by Bahrain's Shiite majority demanding greater political freedoms and equal rights.

Among those detained are also dozens of Shiite professionals, such as doctors and lawyers, including the lawyer who was to defend the seven suspected opposition supporters in the military court, Rajab said.

The attorney, Mohammed al-Tajer, is one of Bahrain's most prominent human rights lawyers. He has represented hundreds of clients against the state, including Shiite activists accused of plotting against the Sunni monarchy. He was taken into custody on Saturday.

At least 30 people have died since Feb. 15, when anti-government protests erupted in Bahrain, inspired by the uprisings in the Arab world. Four opposition supporters have also died in police custody.

[Associated Press; By BARBARA SURK]

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