Hezbollah decries arrest of Bahrain opposition leader

The Lebanese resistance movement, Hezbollah, has denounced the Bahraini regime’s detention of the prominent opposition leader, Sheikh Ali Salman.

“This action abuses the Bahrainis who rose to seek their legitimate rights in the context of a political path that abides by the international laws,” read a statement issued by Hezbollah on Monday.

Hezbollah also called on the Arab League and the international community to pressure the regime in Manama to release 49-year-old Salman and halt its repressive measures against political dissidents.

The al-Wefaq National Islamic Society’s leader was detained on Sunday following 10 hours of questioning by the country’s criminal police.

According to the Bahraini prosecutor, Nayef Mahmud, the opposition leader is charged with “promoting regime change by force, threats, and illegal means and of insulting the Interior Ministry publicly.”

Earlier in the day, the European Union warned that the arrest of the Shia leader by the Bahraini regime will only worsen the Persian Gulf kingdom’s already fragile political and security situation.

The EU said the move by the Al Khalifa regime marked a further step in igniting confrontation between the country’s opposition and authorities.

Bahrain has been witnessing almost daily protests against the Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011, when an uprising began in the kingdom. Since then, thousands of protesters have held numerous rallies in the streets of Bahrain, calling for the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power.