A Court in Bahrain Sentences Opposition Leader from the Arab Spring to Life Imprisonment

A court in Bahrain on Sunday, November 4, sentenced a prominent Shia cleric who was a leader of the opposition during the 2011 Arab Spring protests to life imprisonment. Sheikh Ali Salman, who was accused of espionage, had been acquitted by a lower court in June, but the Bahraini Supreme Court of Appeals sentenced him to life imprisonment. According to the Associated Press, human rights groups and civil activists consider the charges against this opposition leader to be politically motivated and related to his activities during the Arab Spring in Bahrain. The issuance of this ruling comes weeks before the Bahraini parliamentary elections, from which the Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, which Sheikh Salman once led, has been barred from participating. This organization, the largest Shia opposition coalition in this small Gulf state, was dissolved in 2016 following the crackdown on protesters against the Bahraini regime. The official Bahrain News Agency reported that the Bahraini appeals court, without naming the defendants, found three individuals guilty of espionage. A civil group called 'First Human Rights' confirmed that this ruling pertains to Sheikh Salman. Sheikh Hassan Ali Jumaa Sultan and Ali Mahdi Ali Al-Aswad, two other defendants in this case, are also former officials of the Al-Wefaq Society. The three are accused of providing sensitive information to Qatar in exchange for financial assistance, which could jeopardize Bahrain's security. The Bahrain News Agency states that the country's prosecutors presented the defendants' phone calls as evidence of this claim. Last year, Bahrain's television aired recorded phone calls between Sheikh Salman and Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, the future Prime Minister of Qatar, during the 2011 protests. Bahrain is one of four Arab countries that have sanctioned Qatar over what they call the country's support for terrorism. A government report on the protests and unrest in 2011 stated that the Bahraini opposition accepted Qatar's mediation plan during the uprising, but the Manama government rejected it. Supporters of Sheikh Salman argue that the contacts made with the Qatari official were related to those efforts and that the calls have been edited for other purposes. Meanwhile, Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, condemned the issuance of this ruling. According to a report by Khabar Online, he described Sheikh Ali Salman's political approach as 'moderate and peaceful' and stated: 'This ruling will leave no doubt for public opinion and the international community that the Bahraini government is not only not seeking to reform matters but has decided to intensify repression and worsen the situation.' The Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly been accused by Manama and Riyadh of interfering in Bahrain's internal affairs and attempting to overthrow the Sunni government of the country, an allegation that Tehran denies.