Bahrainis reiterate demand for Sheikh Salman release

People in Bahrain have staged a fresh anti-regime protest, calling for the immediate release of Sheikh Ali Salman, the head of the main opposition bloc al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, and all prisoners of conscience.

According to Press TV, the protesters, holding portraits of Sheikh Ali Salman, staged a rally in the northwestern village of Diraz after Friday Prayers, condemning his continued detention.

Sheikh Salman was arrested on December 28, 2014, on charges of attempting to overthrow the Manama regime and collaborating with foreign powers. He denies the charges, saying he has been seeking reforms in the kingdom through peaceful means.

In June 2015, a Bahraini court sentenced him to four years in prison on charges such as insulting the Bahraini Interior Ministry and inciting others to break the law. He was cleared of charges of subversion.

Also on Friday, the demonstrators voiced their determination to push ahead with their five-year-old uprising.

Since February 14, 2011, thousands of anti-regime protesters have held numerous demonstrations on an almost daily basis in Bahrain, calling for the Aal-e Khalifah family to relinquish power.

SS