Aal-e Khalifa regime to try Sheikh Salman on espionage charges

The minority ruling regime of Aal-e Khailfa in Bahrain is set to try prominent religious scholar and opposition figure Sheikh Ali Salman this week on the allegation of “spying” for Qatar, a media report says.

Salman, the secretary-general of the country’s now-dissolved al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, would be tried alongside two of his colleagues on November 27, Bahrain's Lulu TV channel reported on Sunday.

The trio in early November was charged with “spying on behalf of a foreign country ... with the aim of carrying out subversive acts against Bahrain and harming its national interests.”

The 52-year-old religious scholar was also alleged with “revealing defense secrets to a foreign country and disseminating information that would harm Bahrain's status and reputation.”

Sheikh Salman has rejected all the allegations, saying he has merely been seeking reforms in the country through peaceful means.

Amnesty International and other human rights groups have already censured his arrest and called for his release.

SS