Bahrain opposition leader gets four years jail
MANAMA, 0 hours, 33 minutes
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Bahrain has sentenced opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman to four years in jail in connection with spreading sectarian hate and insulting a government body.
The secretary-general of Al Wefaq National Islamic Society was yesterday found guilty of inciting hatred against a certain sect, insulting the Interior Ministry and inciting others to break the law, reported The Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.
However, the High Criminal Court acquitted him of seeking to change Bahrain’s political regime by force due to lack of evidence.
Shaikh Salman’s five-month trial ended yesterday amidst heavy security presence at the Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry complex in the Diplomatic Area.
Armed policemen patrolled the complex, while armoured vehicles were stationed at the entrances to the Diplomatic Area.
Extra security measures were also carried out inside the court’s premises where people were searched and had to present their identification cards before entering the courtroom.
The packed hearing was attended by Al Wefaq officials, diplomats from the American, British, Italian, German and French embassies, human rights activists and Shaikh Salman’s relatives.
Shaikh Salman was handed a two-year jail sentence for inciting others to break the law, and 12 months each for the other two charges.
“The defendant was found not guilty of seeking to change Bahrain’s political regime by force,” read the verdict document, which was 17-pages long.
“There is no evidence to prove that he incited the use of force and illegal means to topple Bahrain’s political system.
“Therefore, the court does not find sufficient evidence to find him guilty of that charge.”
However, recordings of the opposition leader’s speeches submitted as evidence was sufficient enough for the court to find him guilty of the rest of the charges.
“In connection with the three other charges the defendant was found guilty by the court due to the evidence presented by prosecutors,” read the document.
“According to investigations by prosecutors, during 2013 and 2014, the defendant incited hatred against naturalised Bahrainis during speeches he gave in ma’tams and mosques.
“He labelled them as mercenaries and said they were repressing original Bahrainis, saying that they can booby-trap vehicles and be suicide bombers. This posed a huge threat towards them and endangered their lives,” stated the document.
“In addition, he said that they were taking the country’s fortunes from original citizens. The defendant also labelled policemen as mercenaries saying they belonged to terrorists groups, ” it said.
“He also called for people to break the law by joining unauthorised rallies in Manama and called for the reinstatement of the disbanded Ulama Council despite a court ruling,” read the document.
Transcripts of Shaikh Salman’s speeches were also attached to court documents as evidence.
In several speeches, he incited violence against policemen, criticised the government for alleged “political naturalisation” to change the country’s demographics, and incited people to forcibly take to the streets in Manama.
Defence lawyers told the GDN they will lodge appeals against the conviction at the Supreme Criminal Appeals Court.
Shaikh Salman, who earlier denied all charges, was arrested on December 28 and has already spent more than five months in police custody.
He will have to spend another three years and seven months in prison if he does not get his sentence reduced on appeal.
The GDN earlier reported that chief prosecutor Osama Al Oufi urged judges to hand down the maximum punishment.
He also argued that Shaikh Salman, in his speeches, hinted at arming the opposition.
Defence lawyer Abdullah Al Shamlawi previously denied that Shaikh Salman had provoked an escalation in terrorism and rioting through his speeches – which a detective had earlier told judges.
Meanwhile, Al Wefaq officials criticised the court ruling during a Press conference held yesterday.-TradeArabia News Service