Iran Calls for Immediate Freedom of Bahrain’s Detained Opposition Leader

Iran urged Bahrain on Wednesday to free prominent opposition group leader, Sheikh Ali Salman who has been in regime custody since Sunday.

“We are extremely worried about his situation,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham told reporters.

“We want him to be released,” she said of Salman, head of the Al-Wefaq movement, which boycotted a parliamentary election in November having dismissed it as a farce.

“We believe that the security measures Bahrain’s government has adopted to solve its internal issues are wrong,” Afkham added.

Salman’s detention, which came on Sunday two days after he was re-elected as party leader, sparked fresh clashes between his supporters and police across the Gulf Kingdom.

The prosecution said Monday that the 49-year-old cleric had been charged with “promoting regime change by force, threats and illegal means and of insulting the interior ministry publicly.”

Salman is also accused of “inciting people to break the law and of hatred towards a segment of the people”.

On Tuesday, officials said he would remain in custody for seven days.