Al Wefaq opposition group leader Sheikh Ali Salman arrives at the office of the public prosecutor for questioning in Manama yesterday.
Reuters/Manama
Bahrain’s public prosecutor has charged the head of the main Shia opposition group with insulting the interior ministry, state news agency BNA said yesterday.
Sheikh Ali Salman, secretary general of the Al Wefaq Islamic Association, was the most senior opposition figure charged since Shias began protests in 2011 to demand political reform and a greater role in running the country.
Minister of State for Information Affairs Samira Rajab said the Wefaq leader was suspected of “denigrating and disparaging the interior ministry” by alleging human rights violations by the police against protesters.
Ali Salman was released yesterday after five hours of interrogation about an opposition display which Bahraini authorities closed down last week, saying it was illegal and incited hatred.
The kingdom has been dogged by unrest since security forces quelled the 2011 protests.
“After questioning Ali Salman, secretary general of the Al Wefaq society, the general prosecution decided to release him ... after filing charges of insulting the interior ministry,” BNA said on its website.
Sheikh Salman said the questioning centred on a speech he made at the exhibition opening.
“Summoning the general secretary of a top political society which gained the votes of more than 60% of the population (in the last parliamentary election) is a clear violation of our political work and our freedom,” Sheikh Salman told Reuters.
“This act is totally unacceptable and meaningless.”
News of Sheikh Salman’s questioning on Saturday sparked some protests, Al Wefaq reported on its website. A picture on the site showed small crowds marching with posters of the Wefaq leader reading: “We will sacrifice ourselves for you, We will not let you down”.
“The association’s exhibition showed models, miniatures and drawings alleging systematic police use of inhuman practices and human rights violations,” said Rajab, the government’s official spokeswoman.
“The Al Wefaq Society secretary general and other members delivered inflammatory speeches packed with lies ... which represented an affront to the status of the police,” she added.