Conditions of bahrain university students alarming

Students of Bahrain's universities are experiencing aggravating and worrying conditions as the Al-Khalifa regime continues suppression of peaceful popular protests in the tiny Persian Gulf island.A report by the Ahlul Bayt news agency said six university students in Bahrain were convicted and sentenced to long prison terms by the National Safety Court (Military Court), and more than 100 students were brought before the Lower Criminal Court, including at least 10 detainees while more than 65 students remain expelled from university. Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) has expressed deep concern over the sentences imposed on six students from the University of Bahrain by the National Safety Court (military court) to 15 years imprisonment and a fine of 349,300 dinars (about 925,000 US dollars). The students were accused of fabricated charges related to the government-sponsored thug attack on the University of Bahrain in March, after an unfair trial. On October 3 2011, the military court sentenced six students after accusing them of: trying to kill a number of people at the University of Bahrain, the destruction of university property in order to disrupt the educational environment, theft of computers, possession of explosive flammable weapons intended for use and public incitement of hatred towards the regime. This comes after their arrest following the events of March 13, where government thugs attacked students with the support of security forces on the University of Bahrain campus. The attack resulted in four serious cases of injury and dozens of students were taken to the hospital due to suffocation caused by tear gas. On one hand, BCHR believes that these unfair provisions did not take into account the most basic rights of the accused to a fair trial in a civilian court. On the other hand, the confessions of the student detainees are void as their clearly stated that these confessions were extracted under torture, which was not considered by the Court. What is even more unfair is that there is evidence proving some students were absent on the day of the incident. The Center has also documented cases of these students, who are academically excelling students whose work has been featured in various events on university campus as well as having noticeable social activities.