The Supreme Court of Bahrain on Monday upheld a life sentence awarded to Shia opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman over charges of spying for neighbouring Qatar.
Salman, who headed the now-outlawed Al-Wefaq movement, was convicted in November of “communicating with Qatari officials … to overthrow constitutional order” – a ruling rights groups have called a travesty.
His aides Ali al-Aswad and Hassan Sultan, who had been sentenced to life in absentia, also lost their right to appeal. Both men are former MPs and currently reside outside Bahrain.
Salman is currently serving a four-year jail sentence in a separate case – “inciting hatred” in the kingdom.
Qatar has repeatedly denied the accusations of conspiring against Bahrain with Salman.
The Supreme Court on Monday confirmed the verdict against Salman and his aides for “spying for a foreign state in order to … overthrow the government”, according to a statement released by public prosecutor Osama al-Awfi.
‘Political revenge’
The London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy condemned the ruling and challenged Bahrain’s allies for supporting its leadership.
“This is political revenge and an insult to justice,” said the group’s director of advocacy Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei.
“Punishing peaceful dissidents for leading protests against the corrupt ruling family has nothing to do with justice. This verdict shames Bahrain’s rulers and their allies in traditional Western democracies, namely US and UK.”
Bahrain, a vital link for Western militaries, is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet as well as a permanent British base. US President Donald Trump has eased restrictions on arms sales to Bahrain since taking office.
Gulf crisis
Bahrain, along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), severed all ties with Qatar in 2017, banning their citizens from travel to or communication with the fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member.
Ruled for more than two centuries by the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty, Bahrain has been hit by waves of unrest since 2011, when security forces crushed Shia-led protests demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister.
Bahrain’s two main opposition groups – Al-Wefaq and the secular Waad – are prohibited from representation in parliament.
Bahraini authorities accuse Shia-dominated Iran of provoking unrest in the kingdom. Tehran denies the allegation.
Human rights groups have frequently said cases against activists in Bahrain – men and women, religious and secular – fail to meet the basic standards of fair trials.
Since the Bahraini authorities crushed street protests in 2011, demonstrators have clashed frequently with security forces who have been targeted by several bomb attacks. Manama says Qatar supports the unrest, accusations denied by Doha.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
