Shi'ite groups have opposed the sentencing. The Bahrain Human Rights
Society has called on the government to release the 11 as well as those
detained in the subsequent rioting. Some of the detainees were identified as
minors, or under 16 years old.
"There were parts of Manama that were left a mess, but people have the
right to protest against any judgment they see as unfair," Manama Municipal
Council services committee head Hameed Mansoor said. "Maybe some took it too
far, but when rights are taken away, loved ones are threatened then people
resort to desperate measures."
The 11 Shi'ites sentenced on July 13 have asserted that they were
tortured in prison. Attorneys said they would appeal their prison sentences.
"In my opinion, according to the judgement, they have a chance,"
attorney Sami Saeedi said. "They are still studying whether they have the
right to go for compensation or not."
Bahrain could face additional unrest in wake of a decision to withdraw
approval for the construction of 15 Shi'ite mosques. Shi'ite
parliamentarians warn that the decision by the Justice Ministry could spark
a backlash in Bahrain and throughout the region. Kuwait is another Gulf
Cooperation Council state with a large Shi'ite community.
"The decision lacks legality and could promote negative feeling among
people who might think that the government is controlling their faith," Said
Maki Al Wadai, a member of the largest Shi'ite bloc in parliament, said.
Officials said Shi'ite dissidents have used mosques to organize unrest.
They said Iran has been the leading financier of Shi'ite mosques and
community center in Bahrain.
"The decision was part of many imposed recently to separate places of
worship from politics," Justice Minister Khalid Bin Ali Al Khalifa, who is
also Islamic Affairs minister, said.
A Sunni parliamentarian has warned that the Shi'ite violence in Bahrain
has become intolerable. Jassem Al Saidi, an independent, said Bahrain must
undertake a massive military operation to restore order in the kingdom.
"The situation in Bahrain couldn't be tolerated and riots and violence
should be tackled with a well-planned military plan, similar to an incident
in
the United States when U.S. forces stepped in to control a strike at an
airport," Al Saidi said.