Opposition Party: 84 Children in Bahrain Jail

(FNA)- Bahrain's key opposition party, Al Wefaq National Islamic Society, unveiled that at least 84 children are imprisoned in the Al Khalifa regime's jails, adding that a number of them have faced theatrical trials.

"Since the onset of the popular revolution in the country, 84 children have been detained and gone on trial by the al-Khalifa regime," a member of the al-Wefaq Society was quoted by al-Menar TV as saying.

He warned of the dire situation of the children in the al-Khalifa jails, and said most of them are in bad physical and mental conditions, adding that all of them are under 18 teenagers.

The regime is treating them like adults and does not allow them to have defense lawyers when trying them.

In June, reports from Bahrain said that an 11-year-old boy was due to stand trial in the tiny Persian Gulf country for allegedly taking part in anti-government protests, as he just took his elementary school exams behind bars.

Ali Hassan is accused of "joining an illegal gathering" and faces other charges linked to protests in Bahrain. Ali was arrested in May during the Al-Khalifa monarchy's crackdown on popular protests.

It is not the first time that the Bahrain authorities have been accused of targeting school children - three teenage school girls said they were beaten in custody by the police there in May last year.

Anti-government protesters have been holding peaceful demonstrations across Bahrain since mid-February 2011, calling for an end to the Al Khalifa dynasty's over-40-year rule.

Violence against the defenseless people escalated after a Saudi-led conglomerate of police, security and military forces from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) member states - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar - were dispatched to the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom on March 13, 2011, to help Manama crack down on peaceful protestors.

So far, tens of protesters have been killed, hundreds have gone missing and thousands of others have been injured.

Police clampdown on protesters continues daily. Authorities have tried to stop organized protests by opposition parties over the past months by refusing to license them and using tear gas on those who turn up.

The opposition coalition wants full powers for the elected parliament and a cabinet fully answerable to parliament.