UN rights chief Bachelet says Bahrain mass trial raises deep concern

UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Thursday she was concerned that a Bahrain mass trial that revoked the nationality of 138 people this week had not met international fair trial standards. A court in Western-allied Bahrain sentenced 139 people to jail on terrorism charges on Tuesday and revoked the citizenship of all but one of them, Reuters reported. “There are serious concerns that the court proceedings failed to comply with international fair trial standards, with a large number of the accused reportedly tried in absentia,” Bachelet said. Revocation of nationality can have serious consequences in daily life, including the denial of the right to health, education and freedom of movement, she added.