Bahrain Mirror: Amnesty International launched an urgent appeal to organizations and individuals to take action in support of the prominent opposition leader, Ebrahim Sharif, former Secretary-General of the National Democratic Action Society (Wa'ad) who risks facing up to 13 years in prison.

In a statement issued on Wednesday (August 26, 2015) Amnesty urged everyone to "write immediately, calling on the Bahraini authorities to release Ebrahim Sharif immediately and unconditionally and to drop the charges against him," stressing that "he is a prisoner of conscience, held solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression."

It further stated that Sharif is a "prisoner of conscience" and that "requests by his lawyers to release him on bail were rejected and the court ruled he should remain in custody until the next hearing on 12 October," pointing out that "if convicted, he could face up to 13 years in prison."

Amnesty called for urging the Bahraini authorities "to uphold the right to freedom of expression and repeal laws that criminalize the peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly."

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