Manama: A court in Bahrain on Tuesday sentenced Ali Salman, the secretary-general of Al Wefaq Society, to four years in jail.
The High Criminal Court issued the verdict on the charges of publicly inciting hatred against a segment of the society, calling for non-compliance with the law and denigrating the interior ministry by describing its affiliates as mercenaries and claiming some of them were members of terrorist groups, the Public Prosecution said on its Twitter account.
However, the court dropped the accusation of promoting political change using illegal force and threats.
“The Public Prosecution is studying the grounds for the verdict and will assess the reasons for dropping some of the charges before it decides whether it will appeal,” it said.
Ali Salman was arrested in December and investigations looked into recordings of public speeches and sermons that promoted extremist views that constituted a clear contravention of the law, Advocate-General Wael Bu Ali said last month.
“Evidence underpinning the charges also included public statements delivered by the defendant that incited violence and encouraged the use of force, referring to such acts as a religious duty,” the advocate-general said in a statement carried by Bahrain News Agency (BNA).
During the trial, the Public Prosecution reaffirmed the seriousness of the charges levelled against the defendant and requested that in accordance with Bahrain’s penal code, the court issue the maximum penalty available.
Bu Ali said the defendant had been afforded full legal rights and provided with the opportunity to meet his family and his legal team throughout the trial.
The court had heard from both prosecution and defence witnesses and the recordings of the defendant’s public statements and sermons, as well as the minutes of the trial, had been provided to the defence team.
Bu Ali added the court had previously ordered all evidence presented before it to be shared with the defence team and directly with the defendant while in detention.
