Dubai: Ali Salman, leader of Bahrain’s main opposition party has been accused of ‘inciting hatred’ against the government and calling for ‘its overthrow by force’, his lawyer tweeted.
Bahraini authorities have been tight-lipped about Salman’s whereabouts since summoning him for questioning on Sunday about “violating certain aspects of the law”.
Salman’s lawyer, Abdullah Al Shamlan said he had not been allowed to attend Salman’s questioning.
Shamlan said the Al Wefaq leader was also accused of “insulting the judiciary and the executive branch”, of “sectarian incitement”, of “spreading false news likely to cause panic and undermine security” and “participation in events detrimental to the economy”. Salman was re-elected as party leader on Friday and marked the occasion by leading a protest march outside the capital. Al Wefaq’s activities are banned in Bahrain. In July, the justice ministry sued Al Wefaq demanding it rectify its “illegal status following the annulment of four general assemblies for lack of a quorum and the non-commitment to the public and transparency requirements for holding them”.
The Manama administrative court slapped Al Wefaq with the ban on October 28 and gave it three months to hold an assembly to elect its leaders.
Meanwhile, dozens of Shiite clerics demonstrated in Bahrain on Monday against the detention of opposition leader Shaikh Ali Salman by authorities.
News of the arrest of the Al Wefaq leader drew hundreds of his supporters onto the streets of villages outside the capital Manama late on Sunday, prompting clashes with security forces.
Police fired tear gas and birdshot to disperse the protesters, many of whom had gathered in Salman’s home village of Bilad Al Qadeem, witnesses said.
Al Wefaq’s announcement that it would boycott a November parliamentary election it dismissed as a ‘farce’ was followed by a court order banning the party in late October.
