[JURIST] Bahrain lawyer Jassim Sarhan confirmed Tuesday that 13 pro-democracy activists were sentenced to 10 years in jail. The sentences [AP report] arise from attacks by the activists on police officers during recent protests. The activists are among dozens convicted of playing a role in the uprising. This sentence comes in the middle of a hunger strike [JURIST report] commenced on March 17 by daughter and father, Zainab al-Khawaja and Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who have been detained in Bahrain.

Earlier this month, the Bahrain Higher Criminal Court acquitted two police officers [JURIST report] in the shooting death of a Shiite protester during the nation’s pro-democracy protests in Manama that began in February 2011. Last month a Bahrain police officer was sentenced to seven years [JURIST report] in prison for fatally shooting a protester. Bahrain authorities banned all protests [JURIST report] effective October 2012. In January a court in Bahrain released [JURIST report] human rights activist Sayed Yousif Al-Muhafda on bail pending trial for charges of spreading false news to harm security. Also in January the highest Bahraini appellate court upheld the convictions [JURIST report] of 13 prominent pro-democracy protestors convicted by military tribunal in 2011 on charges of plotting to overthrow the monarchy.