Bahraini Rights Activist Tried in Secret Trial

A Bahraini human rights activist arrested by police earlier this month was put on trial in a military court on Thursday, his daughter told the BBC.

Abdulhadi al-Khawaja had told his daughter by telephone the date and time of the trial, but when the family arrived at the court, officials denied all knowledge of the case.

A popular uprising in Bahrain, inspired by developments in Egypt and Tunisia, was violently supressed by authorities earlier this month. With the help of 1,000 soldiers from surrounding Gulf states, mainly from Saudi Arabia, authorities were able to put an end to the demonstrations.

Human Rights Watch has reported cases of protesters that died in custody. According to the rights group, 430 people have been arrested in recent weeks.