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| Zakariya al-Ashiri ran an online news website with a focus on human rights |
The trial
has begun in Bahrain's capital, Manama, of five police officers implicated in
the death in custody of a blogger last year.
Zakariya
Rashid Hassan al-Ashiri died on 9 April, seven days after he had been arrested
as part of a crackdown on pro-democracy activists in the kingdom.
The
authorities originally said that Mr Ashiri had died from complications
resulting from sickle cell anaemia.
But photos
showed significant bruises on his body consistent with beatings.
Mr Ashiri,
a Shia Muslim, ran an online news website with a focus on human rights,
business and culture.
At the time
of his arrest he was charged with inciting hatred against the government and
the promotion of sectarianism.
His death
in custody provoked an international outcry.
The charges
against two of the officers relate to administering a beating that lead to Mr
Ashiri's death. If convicted, the officers face a maximum sentence of seven
years.
The other
three officers have been charged with failure to report a crime to the appropriate
authorities.
Another
Bahraini journalist, Karim Fakhrawi, died on 12 April, also while in detention.
At the
time, the government said his death resulted from kidney failure. But
photographs of his body also showed signs of beating.
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