Bahrain upholds death sentences for Shiite protesters

A special Bahrain court upheld on Sunday death sentences for two Shiites convicted of killing two policemen during unrest that hit the Sunni-ruled kingdom, the official BNA news agency said. "The National Safety Appeals Court upheld the death sentence Sunday against Ali Abdullah Hasan al-Singace and Abdulaziz Abdulrida Ibrahim Hussein," BNA reported. The decision came despite international calls for sparing the detainees. Last month the court sentenced four Shiites to death and three others to jail for life for killing two policemen by running them over with cars during protests that shook the country earlier this year. Their case drew international condemnation and rights watchdog Amnesty International has urged Bahrain to halt the executions.