Bahrain Mirror: The National Islamic Al-Wefaq Society confirmed that the Bahraini judiciary has become a tool in the hands of the ruling authority. "Issuing a life sentence against the opposition leader after a previous acquittal ruling reflects the magnitude of chaos and subordination, which is no secret to anyone," it said.

In an official statement issued on Sunday, November 4, 2018, after the verdict of the Court of Appeal, sentencing Al-Wefaq Society Secretary-General, Sheikh Ali Salman, and two former MPs of Al-Wefaq bloc: Sheikh Hassan Sultan and Ali Al-Aswad, to life imprisonment, Al-Wefaq said: "The verdict issued against Sheikh Ali Salman will only increase the people's strength, patience, pride and persistence in faith that the homeland is stronger and better without dictatorship, tyranny, injustice and looting."

"The alleged case in which Sheikh Ali Salman is being tried concerns a US-Gulf initiative in 2011 that included former Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal, Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani and former US Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman. The Bahrain King represented the ruling regime and Sheikh Ali Salman represented the opposition and the popular situation," it added.

It further stated that "That initiative was unveiled since March 2011. The Bahraini regime turned it into a spy case after the dispute between the three Gulf countries, including Bahrain and Qatar in mid 2017."

Al-Wefaq also pointed out that the Bahraini regime is experiencing a real crisis with its people, and that this crisis has escalated to the extent that the regime is resorting to reckless and insane options in order to get out of its isolation, and thus is using political prisoners as hostages. It is currently the first country in the Middle East in terms of the number of political prisoners.

Arabic Version