Monday, December 10, 2012

Bahrain activist Zainab al-Khawaja sentenced to jail

A court in Bahrain has sentenced pro-democracy activist Zainab al-Khawaja to one month in prison. Ms Khawaja was found guilty of entering the "prohibited area" of the former site of Pearl Roundabout in Manama - the focus of last year's unrest. Her lawyers had argued that the authorities had never announced officially a ban on access to the site. Prosecutors also ordered Ms Khawaja's detention for a week on charges of inciting hatred against the government. Ms Khawaja has been detained several times since February 2011. In September she was sentenced to two months in prison for damaging public property in a police station. Her lawyer said she had torn up a picture of the king. Her father, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, is among eight activists and opposition figures sentenced to life imprisonement for allegedly plotting to overthrow the state.

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