bahrain-shias-AFP-670
Bahraini Shia Muslims stand behind a banner reading in Arabic '' No to dictatorship'' as they take part in an anti-government rally in the village of Muqsha, west of Manama on Dec 7, 2012. — Photo by AFP

DUBAI: A Bahraini court on Monday sentenced the daughter of prominent opposition activist Hadi al-Khawaja to one month in jail for taking part in an unauthorised demonstration, her lawyer said.

Zainab al-Khawaja, the eldest of the Shia rights activist's daughters, was found guilty of entering the “prohibited area” of Pearl Square, the main symbol of 2011 protests crushed by security forces, on Feb 12, the lawyer said.

She also was fined 100 dinars ($258).

Her lawyers disputed the charges, saying there was “no formal decision declaring that Pearl Square is a forbidden area”.

Zainab al-Khawaja, whose father is serving a life sentence for plotting against the state, has faced justice on several occasions already this year.

In October, she was freed after serving a two-month jail term for destroying government property.

The judiciary accused her of tearing apart a portrait of King Hamad during detention, according to Amnesty International.

In May, she served a one-month prison sentence for assaulting a police officer.

Bahrain came under strong criticism from international human rights organisations over last year's deadly crackdown on the protests, led by the majority Shias in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.

An international panel commissioned by King Hamad to probe the government's clampdown found that excessive force and torture had been used against protesters and detainees.

Opinion

Editorial

Taking cover
09 Jan, 2025

Taking cover

IT is unfortunate that, instead of taking ownership of important decisions, our officials usually seem keener to ...
A living hell
09 Jan, 2025

A living hell

WHAT Donald Trump does domestically when he enters the White House in just under two weeks is frankly the American...
A right denied
09 Jan, 2025

A right denied

DESPITE citizens possessing the constitutional and legal right to access it, federal ministries are failing to...
Closed doors
Updated 08 Jan, 2025

Closed doors

The nation’s fate has been decided through secret deals for too long, with the result that the citizenry has become increasingly alienated from the state.
Debt burden
08 Jan, 2025

Debt burden

THE federal government’s total debt stock soared by above 11pc year-over-year to Rs70.4tr at the end of November,...
GB power crisis
08 Jan, 2025

GB power crisis

MASS protests are not a novelty in Pakistan, and when the state refuses to listen through the available channels —...