Iran condemns heavy sentences on Bahrain protesters

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi condemned "heavy sentences" handed down by courts in Bahrain to pro-democracy protesters in the tiny Persian Gulf country."The intensification of the crackdown on protesters and the heavy sentences will lead nowhere. Bahrain's government should take appropriate measures to respond to the demands and wishes of its people," Salehi said in remarks on Wednesday, Iran's state television reported on its website. Scores of opposition activists and protesters in Bahrain have been given stiff punishment, including several death sentences, on charges related to a month of pro-democracy protests. The sentences have been criticized as harsh by Human Rights Watch, the United Nations and many other countries. Among those convicted are 20 medics of Manama's largest hospital, the Salmaniya Medical Complex. They were found guilty of "incitement to overthrow the regime." Some of the others sentenced, including women, were found guilty of "calling for the overthrow of the political system. The protests against the Al-Khalifa dynasty, launched in February, were violently suppressed and left hundreds of people dead. Violence against the defenseless people escalated after a Saudi-led conglomerate of police, security and military forces from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) member states - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar - were dispatched to the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom on March 13 to help Manama crack down on peaceful protestors. Yet, protests and rallies continued throughout the country in defiance of the martial law put in place by Manama. People say they will continue protests until the regime collapses.