Bahrain court sentences 58 people on terrorism charges – report

A court in Bahrain on Wednesday sentenced 58 people on terrorism charges, condemning two of them to death and stripping citizenship from 47, according to a report by state news agency BNA. The ruling is the latest in a series of scores of harsh penalties in the Gulf kingdom for defendants accused of Iranian-backed militancy. However, activists say they are mostly peaceful opposition members. The court alleged the people were part of a terrorist cell trained in the use of heavy weapons and explosives and jailed 19 for life and 37 for terms up to 15 years, Reuters reports. Bahrain accuses mainly Shiite Iran of stoking militancy in the kingdom, which Tehran denies.