Bahrain's highest appeal court has upheld the sentences of 13 activists for their part in anti-government protests in 2011, lawyers say.
This was their last possible chance of getting their convictions overturned, their defence lawyers said.
Some of the activists received life sentences after being convicted of plotting to overthrow the state.
Bahrain has been wracked by unrest since pro-democracy demonstrations began in February 2011.
'Political persecution'The 13 who lost their final appeal were among 20 opposition leaders and activists originally convicted by a special military tribunal in 2011 of plotting to overthrow the state.
Eight of them received life sentences, including Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who last year staged a 110-day hunger strike in protest at his detention.
All 20 lost an appeal in a civilian court last September.
Human Rights groups condemned the sentences, saying there was no evidence that the activists had used or advocated violence during their protests and that their subsequent detention and trial contravened international law.
Life in prison
- Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, human rights and political activist
- Abdul Wahhab Hussein, leader of al-Wafa (Fidelity) Islamic Movement
- Hassan Mushaima, leader of al-Haq (Truth) Movement for Liberty and Democracy
- Abdul Jalil al-Singace, leader of al-Haq
- Mohammed Habib al-Miqdad
- Saeed Mirza al-Nuri
- Abdul Jalil al-Miqdad
15 years
- Mohammed Hassan Jawwad
- Mohammed Ali Ridha Ismail
- Abdullah al-Mahroos
- Abdulhadi Abdullah Hassan al-Mukhodher
5 years
- Ibrahim Sharif, leader of National Democratic Action Society
- Salah Abdullah Hubail al-Khawaja (brother of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja)
Seven other defendants were convicted in absentia; one was released on time served in May
Only 13 filed appeals to Bahrain's highest court. The other seven were originally tried in absentia and remain either out of the country or in hiding.
"This verdict is final, there are no more appeals possible, it is the last stage of litigation," defence lawyer Mohammed al-Jishi told Reuters news agency by telephone from Manama.
The opposition and rights groups immediately condemned the ruling.
"I think it is accurate to call these rulings political persecution," said Sheikh Ali Salman, leader of the main al-Wefaq opposition group.
Security was tight outside the courthouse as a number of protesters gathered to denounce the decision.
The BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner says this is a clear victory for hardliners in the government and the ruling family, who consider calls for regime change an unforgivable crime.
They will have resisted calls by moderates for pardons, he says. The ruling is likely to draw criticism from human rights groups and stimulate further protests in the Shia districts and villages, our correspondent adds.
The uprising began in Bahrain after protesters occupied a prominent landmark in the capital, Manama, to demand more rights and an end to discrimination against the majority Shia Muslim community by the Sunni royal family.
They were forcibly driven out a month later by security forces after the king declared a state of emergency and brought in troops from neighbouring Sunni Gulf states to restore order and crush dissent.
Since then, at least 60 people - including several police officers - have been killed, hundreds have been injured and thousands jailed.
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