(ANSAmed) – ROME, DECEMBER 29 – Yesterday Bahraini
authorities detained Shaikh Ali Salman, the recently re-elected
head of the kingdom’s main opposition group Al-Wefaq, Bahrain
Center for Human Rights (BCHR) reports today.

His arrest comes after he led a peaceful rally near the
capital city of Manama on Friday in protest against last month’s
general elections, which the opposition boycotted. The Ministry
of Interior is accusing Al-Salman of inciting hatred against the
government and calling for its overthrow by force.

After Al Salman was detained by criminal investigators,
scattered clashes broke out on the streets Sunday evening
between protesters and government forces, which led to 56
arbitrary arrests, including 5 children, BCHR also reports.

Since last week, human rights defender Nader Abdulimam has
been facing further charges for founding the human rights
organization ‘Ensaf’. Abdulemam has been serving a six-months
prison sentence since August 2014 for “publicly insulting a
religious figure of worship”. The new charges against him are a
clear violation of the principles of human rights, especially
those relating to freedom of expression, peaceful work and
establishing civil society organizations.

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights believes that Nader
Abdelimam is being targeted because of his high-profile human
rights activism online and on his blog.
Further, the BCHR joined with several other NGOs to express
strong concern over the extradition of Bahraini citizen Ali
Haroun from an immigration detention center in Thailand into the
custody of authorities in Bahrain last week. There is strong
concern that he will be further abused by the authorities as he
reportedly was in 2013 during a previous arrest and detention.

Last week, the BCHR was able to document a total of 56
arbitrary arrests, including 5 children under the age of 18.
Five individuals was confirmed as released, leaving more than
3000 prisoners in arbitrary detention. (ANSAmed).