Bahrain

Bahrain Shia clerics protest at opp. leader arrest

392304_Bahrain-Shia-clerics

Islamic clerics in Bahrain have protested against the recent arrest of the leader of the country’s main Shia opposition party, Al-Wefaq.

Dozens of the clerics gathered in Imam al-Sadiq (AS) Mosque in al-Guful village in the northwestern part of the capital, Manama, on Monday, condemning the detention of Sheikh Ali Salman.

The Bahraini people also took to the streets of villages outside Manama, including Sheikh Salman’s home village of Bilad al-Qadeem, to vent their anger over the opposition leader’s detention.

The Bahraini opposition group has called for the immediate release of Sheikh Salman, describing his arrest as “a dangerous adventure that will complicate the political situation in Bahrain”.

Al-Wefaq, in a Sunday statement announced that 49-year-old Salman was detained following 10 hours of questioning by Bahrain’s criminal police.

The statement also described any move against Salman as serious and uncalculated adventurism, which would complicate the political and security landscape in Bahrain.

Sheikh Salman was summoned to the criminal investigation department on Sunday morning and questioned about “violating certain aspects of the law,” according to the Bahraini Interior Ministry.

The arrest came as Sheikh Salman secured a new four-year stint at al-Wefaq’s general congress on Friday night.

Bahrain has been the scene of almost daily protests against the Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011, when an uprising began in the kingdom.

Back to top button