Why Bahrain is Trying Civilians Before a Military Court

The seven men who will go on trial in Bahrain on Thursday will make history as the country’s first-ever civilians to be tried before a military court. Facing the death penalty, they’ve been sequestered in an unknown location for weeks and accused of murdering two policemen by running them over with a car.

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Lockerbie bomber: I prayed to ‘see my parents before I die’

"I am praying every day that I will see my parents before I die," the Lockerbie bomber wrote in a plea to be set free from a Scottish jail, previously secret documents released Tuesday by the Scottish government show. The handwritten letter from Abdelbeset al Megrahi to Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill was published as the Scottish and British governments fight back against allegations al Megrahi was released as part of a deal involving Libyan oil. Al Megrahi was released last month on the grounds that he has terminal cancer.

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40 years after Manson murders, a bid for parole

The woman who stabbed pregnant actress Sharon Tate to death will be considered for parole from prison a month after the 40th anniversary of the killings that cast a shadow of fear over southern California. Susan Atkins, 61, has been denied parole in 17 previous hearings, but the former “Manson Family” member now is terminally ill with brain cancer and is paralyzed. Charles Manson used his hypnotic powers to direct Atkins and other “family” members to kill seven people, including the pregnant Tate, in a two-night rampage that terrorized the city of Los Angeles, California, in August 1969.

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