Bahrain sentences eight to life in prison over alleged role in bomb blast

Bahrain's Supreme Criminal Court has sentenced eight people to life in prison for their part in the killing of a policeman in a bomb blast in November, the prosecutor's office said on Sunday.

The kingdom's main opposition group denounced the sentences, saying that it was likely the confessions were taken under torture.

The Sunni-ruled Gulf Arab kingdom and host of the U.S. Fifth Fleet has struggled with unrest since mass pro-democracy protests, led by the majority Shia population but also included some Sunnis, erupted in 2011.

The demonstrations were put down by the authorities, but since then more radical Shia protesters have carried out low-level violence against security forces on an almost daily basis. 

The prosecutor's office said the eight men planted a homemade bomb close to where police usually erected a checkpoint during protests, before setting tires on fire and blocking the road to lure police to the site.

One policeman was killed and four others were injured in the resulting blast, the prosecutor said.

Bahrain's main opposition group, al-Wefaq, said on its website that detainees were regularly subjected to torture and forced to make confessions and that the courts were ignoring human rights violations committed by the security forces.

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights has documented many cases of alleged torture and ill-treatment of prisoners since protests began on its website.

The Bahrain government says it has taken steps to address security forces' violations by dismissing those responsible and introducing cameras at police stations to monitor abuses. But activists say this has not helped.

Shias in the kingdom have long complained that they are underrepresented in elections and that they face discrimination in getting government jobs. The government denies discrimination.

Also on Sunday, the Interior Ministry said it had arrested five people in relation to another explosion that took place in the Shia village of Maqsha on April 19.

Amnesty International said in a December briefing that children are being routinely detained, ill-treated and tortured in Bahrain.

"Since Bahrain's popular uprising began on Feb. 14, 2011, gross human rights violations have been committed by security forces. ... At least 2,000 people are languishing in jail. Many trials fell short of fair trial standards," Amnesty added.

Al Jazeera and wire services