A Bahraini court will hand down its verdict next week in the government's bid to dissolve the main opposition group Al-Wefaq, accused of harbouring "terrorism," a judicial source said on Monday.
The date of July 17 was set as the court convened in the absence of the defence team which walked out last month in protest at the government's push to accelerate the process.
The United States has called on Bahrain to reconsider the move to dissolve Al-Wefaq, which it has called "alarming".
Al-Wefaq was the largest bloc in parliament before its lawmakers resigned in protest at the crushing of 2011 protests calling for an elected government in the kingdom.
The justice ministry has accused the Shia bloc of providing a haven for "terrorism, radicalisation and violence" and opening the way for "foreign interference" in the kingdom's affairs.
That was an allusion to Iran, which Bahrain accuses of fomenting unrest among its Shia majority.
In May, an appeals court more than doubled a four-year prison sentence handed down against Al-Wefaq leader Ali Salman on charges of inciting violence.
Al-Wefaq leader Ali Salman
