DUBAI: A Bahraini court sentenced three Shi'ite Muslim men to death yesterday after they were convicted on charges of terrorism and involvement in 2014 bomb attacks that injured a number of police officers. The High Criminal Court also sentenced 14 other people linked to the same case to prison terms ranging from 10 years to life in jail, state news agency BNA reported, quoting a state prosecution statement. At least were sentenced in absentia, the statement said.

The rulings come amid increased tensions in the Western-allied kingdom. Authorities have stepped up a crackdown on dissent by arresting activists, banning the main Shi'ite opposition al-Wefaq group and taking steps to dissolve a secular association earlier this month. The statement said the suspects were accused of forming a "dangerous terrorist cell that carried out the manufacture of explosives and local weapons which they used against security forces in the northern province".

The rulings are subject to appeal, a Bahraini lawyer with knowledge of the case told Reuters. Bahrain in January executed three Shi'ite men convicted of killing three policemen, including an officer from the United Arab Emirates, in a 2014 bomb attack. They were the first such executions in over two decades and sparked protests in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.

Bahrain had been convulsed by occasional unrest since authorities crushed 2011 protests, mainly by the Shi'ite majority demanding a bigger share in running the country. Last week, a court delayed a ruling in the trial of the spiritual leader of the Shi'ites on charges of collecting funds illegally and money laundering.

Former AFP photographer freed

Bahraini authorities yesterday released award-winning photographer Mohammed Al-Shaikh after holding him for more than 24 hours over his work for AFP, according to his family. Relatives said Al-Shaikh, who worked for AFP in Bahrain for several years until his press permit was denied renewal last August, had been detained at Manama airport late Tuesday on his return from a trip overseas. His family said he does not face charges. Bahraini authorities did not respond to AFP's requests for an explanation for his arrest. Al-Shaikh won the 2014 Bayeux-Calvados prize for his coverage of events in the tiny Gulf kingdom, rocked from 2011 onwards by an Arab Spring-inspired uprising and ensuing crackdown.

Rights groups regularly criticize the Sunni-ruled kingdom over its harsh treatment of dissenters. Last year saw a further tightening of restrictions on journalists.  Authorities refused to issue visas or renew accreditations for reporters working for foreign outlets. Nazeeha Saeed, a journalist working for France 24 and Arabic radio station Monte Carlo Doualiya, is currently on trial for working "without the necessary authorization".--Agencies