The crushing of the protests, finally enforced with the help of troops
provided by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, threw the spotlight on Bahrain’s close
security alliance with the United States and Britain. It is home to the US
Fifth Fleet.

The other six defendants in Monday’s hearing were sentenced to terms of
between five and fifteen years. Twenty activists were originally tried and
convicted by military tribunals, some in absentia, but civilian retrials
were later ordered as part of an offer of compromise by the regime.

The convictions were upheld, however, and Monday’s rulings cannot be appealed
further.