A Bahrain court sentenced eight Shiite opposition activists to life in prison yesterday for “plotting to overthrow” the kingdom’s Sunni rulers, nearly a week ahead of a national dialogue proposed by the King.

The National Safety Court of first instance also jailed 13 others for two to 15 years on similar charges, state news agency BNA added.

A member of Bahrain’s largest Shiite formation, the Islamic National Accord Association (Al-Wefaq), slammed the sentence as contradicting King Hamad’s calls for dialogue, set to begin on July 1.

“Is this the atmosphere for dialogue?” asked Khalil Marzooq in excerpts of a speech he gave at a press conference in Manama posted on his Facebook page.

“When the one calling for change and reform is sentenced to life in prison, how will others take part” in dialogue, he asked.

“There are political forces, some of whom have received harsh sentences today, which have not been invited for dialogue,” he added. “How will there be a dialogue without those figures?”

The eight activists sentenced to life include Hassan Mashaima, head of the Shiite opposition Haq movement, and Abdulwahab Hussein, who leads the Shiite Wafa Islamic Movement, as well as Shiite rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who is also a Danish citizen.

Activist and Haq member Abduljalil al-Singace, who was released in February after six months in jail, was also sentenced to life.

The remaining four are Mohammed Habib al-Muqdad, who holds a Swedish passport; his cousin Abduljalil al-Muqdad and Saeed Mirza, both of whom are Wafa members, and Said Abdulnabi Shihab, who was sentenced in absentia.

Ibrahim Sharif, the Sunni leader of Waed secular group, who played a prominent role in the month-long protests to demand democratic reforms that was crushed in mid-March, received a five-year sentence, BNA said.