[JURIST] A Bahraini court on Monday rejected the death sentence appeals of two men convicted in a 2014 bombing that killed three police officers. The court’s decision was announced [PTI report] by prosecutor Nayyaf Yusuf. The men, Hassan Mosa and Mohammed Ramadan, were among 12 convicted in the bombing [BBC report]. While one other defendant received the sentence of life in prison, the rest received six-year prison sentences and fines. The sentences must still be confirmed by King Hamad Al Khalifa.

Bahrain has been the center of tension between police and protesters since protests began in the country in 2011. In June a Bahraini court sentenced [JURIST report] prominent Shiite leader Sheikh Ali Salman to four years in prison for insulting the Interior Ministry, inciting others to break the law and inciting hatred against naturalized Sunnis. In April Amnesty International reported that reforms in Bahrain failed to end [JURIST report] serious human rights. The report claimed that activists were still being jailed and detainees were mistreated and tortured. In February a Bahraini court found 11 Shiites guilty of an attack [JURIST report] carried out against police 2013, and three Shiites were sentenced to death as a result. The other eight defendants were sentenced to life in prison, and their citizenship was stripped. Also in February Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior initiated a criminal investigation [JURIST report] into alleged criminal content posted by the country’s main opposition group, the Al-Wefaq. Earlier that month a group of UN human rights urged the Bahrain government to release Salman.