Manama: Bahrain Advocate General Haroon Al Zayani on Wednesday said that the trial of Ali Salman, secretary-general of Al Wefaq society, had been postponed until March 25.
The defendant who faces a new trial session will remain in custody until the case is reviewed by the court after a month.
Al Zayani said the case was referred to court following the conclusion of investigations by the Public Prosecution that “led to charging the defendant with promoting political change using illegal forceful means and threats, in addition to inciting non-compliance with the law.”
The defendant was also charged with publicly inciting hatred, an act which had disturbed public peace, he said.
“The charges were levelled against the defendant, in full accordance with Bahrain’s Penal Code, following investigations into recordings of public speeches and sermons that promoted extremist views, which constitute a clear contravention of the law. Evidence underpinning the charges also included public statements delivered by the defendant that incited violence and encouraged the use of military force against the kingdom’s authorities, referring to such acts as a religious duty,” Al Zayani said.
During the hearing, the Public Prosecution presented the court with recordings of the defendant’s public speeches and sermons that demonstrated the clear violations of the law, resulting in the charges levelled against him.
The Public Prosecution also responded to the claims made by the defendant in the previous hearing, in addition to submitting a written plea to the court.
“The defence stressed that the defendant had called for peacefulness throughout his public speeches and sermons,” Al Zayani said in a statement carried by the Bahrain News Agency (BNA). “In response, the Public Prosecution outlined that the defendant had deliberately invoked peacefulness to distance himself from incrimination; however he abandoned this approach when subsequently inciting violence, encouraging the use of military force, and inciting non-compliance with the law, as the recordings presented to the court clearly confirm.”
The Public Prosecution has thoroughly investigated the evidence put forward and concluded that the defendant’s public comments constituted crimes in accordance with Bahrain’s Penal Code, a representative from the prosecution said.
Ali Salman was arrested on December 28.
The defence requested the testimony of the investigators in the case and the Public Prosecution objected on the grounds that testimonies should be guided by the incidents being considered and those to which they are directly related.
According to Al Zayani, the next session will hear the testimony of the prosecution witness and the court has allowed the delivery of the recordings of the defendant’s public statements and sermons to the defence, in addition to the record of the trial.
He added that the defendant had been afforded full legal rights, and provided with the opportunity to meet with his family and legal team throughout the trial.
