MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Bahrain's top Shiite cleric is sharply criticizing the life sentences given to eight opposition leaders by a special security court for their role in anti-government protests.
Sheik Isa Qassim says the verdict is a "bad message" to people demanding more freedoms in the Gulf kingdom, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.
He also called the mass trials of Shiite opposition figures unfair and appealed to the nation’s Sunni rulers to overturn the sentences.
The cleric spoke during Friday’s sermon in Diraz, an opposition stronghold northwest of the capital, Manama.
Bahrain on Wednesday sentenced convicted 21 opposition figures of plotting to overthrow the royal family.
Eight leaders received life sentences; 13 others got long prison terms.
