Ali Salman’s verdict on December 4

Manama : The verdict on the appeal of Ali Salman, who was the General Secretary of the dissolved Al Wefaq Islamic Society will be given on December 4 by the Supreme Appeals Court. 

The defendant is standing trial for publicly inciting hatred among a segment of society, insulting the interior ministry and inciting non-compliance with the law. 

The Public Prosecution was not content with the fact that the 49-year-old defendant was acquitted of calling to ‘change the regime by force’. Thus an appeal by prosecutors was submitted to drop all charges against him. The defence lawyers took also a similar move. 

The defendant was initially sentenced to four years behind the bars after the High Criminal Court found him guilty of all the charges except for calling to change the regime by force. 

But an appeals court decided to hand him nine years, after it overturned his acquittal of the aforementioned charge. However, the Cassation Court, the Kingdom’s top court, rejected the appeals court’s verdict, ordering a retrial before a different appeals court. 

And the defendant’s lawyers yesterday submitted the same documents they had earlier presented to the High Criminal Court. Ali Salman refused to speak before judges at the Supreme Appeals Court, stating that what his lawyers said was enough.

Among the evidences presented against the defendants were recordings of public speeches between 2013-2014 that promoted political change, confronting state authorities, calls to stage unlawful protests, in addition to incitement to non-compliance with the law.  

The High Criminal Court had earlier highlighted in its ruling, several remarks he made publicly, including degrading Bahraini citizens by terming them ‘mercenaries’. Court documents stated that Ali Salman helped implement the strategy of terror group February 14 Coalition. It also underlined that his remarks have nothing to do with freedom of speech.