Bahrain executes 3 for bombing, killing policemen

Bahrain on Sunday executed three men convicted of killing three policemen in a 2014 bomb attack, the first such executions in over two decades, drawing condemnation from foreign officials in the region and beyond.

Activists in Bahrain reacted with rage to the move, calling it a "black day" for the kingdom' and posting images of protestors clashing with police on social media. Reuters was unable to verify the protests. 

The executions came less than a week after the country's highest court confirmed the punishment against Abbas Al Samea, 27, Sami Mushaima, 42, and Ali Al Singace, 21, found guilty of killing one Emirati and two Bahraini police officers.

Iran called the punishments "reckless".

"Bahrain's government has demonstrated that it does not seek a peaceful resolution and a way out out of the crisis," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi, quoted by the official news agency IRNA.

Such executions are extremely rare in the kingdom. The last similar case involving a Bahraini occurred in 1996.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said in a statement that Britain opposes the death penalty and he "raised the issue with the Bahraini Government."

Bahrain's majority population have for decades accused of discrimination in matters of jobs, housing and political say. Bahrain says Iran is supporting violence in the kingdom in a bid to widen its influence, a charge Tehran denies.

State news agency BNA said the men were shot and killed in the presence of a judge, doctor and a cleric.

Images posted by Bahraini activists on social media after the news showed demonstrators blocking roads with burning tires and throwing rocks at police who responded with tear gas in several villages.

Authorities last year escalated a crackdown on critics by imprisoning a top rights campaigner, shuttering the main opposition block and revoking the community's spiritual leader of his citizenship.

It has drawn criticism throughout from the international community, including from governments and rights groups who accuse it of being too heavy handed.

Source: Timesofoman