EU scorns Bahrain over death penalties

BRUSSELS, April 28 (UPI) -- The death sentence imposed on four Bahrainis caught up in the Shiite uprising is a "deplorable" act, the president of the European Parliament said Thursday.

Bahraini authorities announced via the state-run news agency that four men were sentenced to death and three others were given life-in-prison terms for the reported killing of two police officers during demonstrations in March.

Bahrain is facing international scrutiny for its response to the Shiite uprising. Opposition leaders accuse the ruling Sunni minority of cracking down on healthcare workers and hospital patients in order to downplay the severity of the violence.

The official Bahrain News Agency said the case of the seven men was referred to the courts following an "intensive investigation by competent authorities." The report added that the verdict was pronounced in public, though al-Jazeera notes the trial took place behind closed doors.

President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek said the sentences were regrettable.

"I condemn the sentencing to death of the four protesters in Bahrain and I call for their sentences to be reviewed," he said in a statement. "The fact that the trial took place behind closed doors is deplorable."

BNA adds video of the killings was uploaded to the Internet social networking Web sites.