Bahrain Mirror: The British Foreign Office (FCO) raised concerns with the Bahraini government over the arrest of a prominent Bahraini dissenter, Ebrahim Sharif, following last week's visit to Bahrain by Prince Charles.

British daily newspaper The Guardian reported the FCO statement which said: "We are concerned by the charges brought against Ebrahim Sharif, and we will be raising these concerns at a senior level with the Bahraini government."

"The UK supports freedom of expression as an essential element of a full range of universal human rights, and we continue to encourage the government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments," the statement further read.

The Bahraini Public Prosecution charged Sharif with "inciting hatred" against the Gulf monarchy's rulers, over comments he made in an interview suggesting that Prince Charles' visit to the island kingdom could "whitewash" an ongoing crackdown on dissent. The charge carries a possible three-year jail sentence.

Arabic Version