Al Wefaq Ali Salman's jail term raised by five years

Manama : A Bahrain court yesterday toughened the jail term of Al Wefaq Islamic Society General Secretary Ali Salman from four years to nine years.

Advocate General Haroon Al Zayani said in a statement that the First High Court of Appeal issued its verdict yesterday in the case of the appeal by the Public Prosecution and the secretary-general of a political society, without mentioning Salman’s name.

“The two sides had appealed a verdict issued last year against the defendant who was implicated in the crimes of promoting forceful change of the political regime and threatening to use illegal means, inciting publicly the hatred of a sect of people to stir turmoil, inciting disobedience, publicly demeaning law enforcement agencies and their personnel as “mercenaries”, and alleging that some of these personnel are affiliated to terrorist organisations,” Al Zayani said. 

He explained that the court accepted the appeals of the Prosecution and the defence attorney in form, but rejected the appeal of the Defence.

“The court sentenced the defendant to seven years in prison in the first, second and third charges, and upheld the two-year sentence on account of the fourth charge. The Prosecution had charged the suspect with committing these crimes based on evidence from investigations into his acts of promoting forceful regime change and threatening to use unlawful means” the Advocate General clarified.

Al Zayani said, “He (the defendant) was in the habit of such incitement and promoted in his speeches on various occasions, extremist calls. He justified acts of violence and sabotage, provoking regime change and calling for Jihad as a form of religious duty.” 

According to Al Zayani, Salman, 49, escalated such incriminated practices and repeatedly threatened to use military force, and publicly expressed that the military option was and still open. Al Zayani added that Salman expected that resorting to such a choice might be made at any time in a manner that is similar to the actions committed by some factions and sects abroad. 

“He (the defendant) also requested superpowers to intervene in the Bahraini affairs to support him to change the constitutional regime, alleging that this would achieve their interests,” the advocate added.

The Public Prosecution said in a statement that within its investigations, the prosecution listened to recordings including Salman’s public speeches. 

It questioned him in the presence of his defence attorney and confronted him with the recorded content of his public speeches and addresses. 

“The charges included his explicit call to violating the provisions of the law regarding the preset routes of demonstrations. He urged the so-called Scholars’ Council to continue carrying out its activity regardless of the court ruling issued to dissolve the council,” the prosecution stated.

Additionally, the prosecution said that Salman publicly incited against naturalised Bahraini citizens, dismissed their loyalty to the nation and branded them as “mercenaries”.

The statement read, “He (Salman) alleged that they (naturalised Bahraini citizens) have usurped the share from the original citizens in the country’s wealth and services. He also said they could commit acts of terrorism and hinted to the possibility of deportation of naturalised citizens from the country in death coffins. Moreover, he said the opposition was offered to adopt the method of the Syrian opposition and to transform the country into a military battleground. He explained that during his presence abroad, he met some groups that expressed their readiness to support the so-called Bahrain Movement and to supply him with weaponry.”

The statement read “The suspect admitted when faced during the investigation that he had delivered all these public speeches included in the investigations in the same wording. The Prosecution referred him to the court which considered the case during its public hearings in the presence of the suspect and his team of defence attorneys. The court listened during its sessions to the prosecution and defence witnesses.”

“The court enabled the suspect’s attending defence attorneys from the first session to receive full copies of the reports attached to the case. The court ordered the preparation of full papers of the cases and its enclosures and delivering them to the suspect in person whose defence attorneys were able to present their whole defence argument,” prosecution said.   

“The court heard the defence attorneys’ argument and then decided to retain the case for a ruling on yesterday’s session. The Bahraini judicial system allows the suspect to object to the issued ruling before the Court of Cassation within the period prescribed by law, should there be legal reasoning to impugn, which is one of the legal sureties provided to any suspect,” the prosecution added.