“We’re also concerned that these convictions serve to further restrict freedom of expression and hurt the atmosphere that’s so necessary in Bahrain for national reconciliation,” Nuland said.
Bahrain’s Court of Cassation on Monday rejected all appeals presented by the defendants and confirmed the previous rulings of prison terms ranging from one month to five years.
The case has drawn international criticism of the U.S.-allied kingdom, which has been in turmoil since the protests, led by its Shiite Muslim majority, were crushed by the Sunni rulers.
Bahrain, which serves as home base for the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, has accused the regional Shiite power, Iran, of encouraging the unrest and has promised a tough response to violent protests as talks with the opposition have stalled.
“We understand that as of this morning the government has begun taking these people into custody,” Nuland said.
“So we’ve repeatedly voiced concern about this case. We’re going to continue to do it both publicly and privately at the highest levels in Bahrain,” she added.
In June, the appeals court sentenced Ali al-Iqri, a former senior surgeon at the Salmaniya hospital in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, to five years in jail and gave eight other medical workers prison sentences ranging from one month to three years. It acquitted nine others.
Two medical workers previously sentenced to 15 years each did not appeal, and they are believed to be in hiding or to have left the country.
The doctors and nurses, who are all Shiites, say they were victimized for treating protesters and helping bring world attention to deaths caused by security forces.
— Reuters
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