Bahrain Opposition Leader Sentenced to One-Year Jail Term

Local Editor

Bahraini judicial official said a court jailed a Sunni opposition leader for one year for incitement against the regime on Wednesday but dropped a more serious charge of promoting political change by force.

Ibrahim Sharif, whose secular Waed movement took part in 2011 protests alongside parties representing the Gulf state's Shiite majority, had strongly denied the latter charge.

But in a statement, the prosecutor general expressed disappointment with the decision of the High Criminal Court and raised the possibility of an appeal to the Court of Cassation on the more serious accusation.

Sharif already served four years of a five-year sentence handed down over the 2011 protests for an elected prime minister in the kingdom before being released under a royal amnesty last June.

He was later rearrested the following month after he spoke at a memorial service for one of those killed during the suppression of the month-long Arab Spring-inspired demonstrations in which he played a prominent role.

Relatively, human rights groups reported that at least 89 people were killed in clashes with security forces since 2011, while hundreds were arrested and put on trial.
Besides, dozens of protestors have since been jailed or stripped of their citizenship.

In parallel, Sheikh Ali Salman, leader of the al-Wefaq opposition bloc, received a four-year sentence last June for inciting disobedience.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team