Bahrain extension of Salman's jail term political repression: UN expert

The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, has strongly denounced Bahrain’s decision to uphold the conviction of opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman and increase his prison sentence from four to nine years.

The human rights expert said in the Swiss city of Geneva on Wednesday that the decision by Bahrain authorities shows “a worrying trend of political repression” in the tiny Persian gulf kingdom.

“The sentencing of Sheik Ali al-Salman seems to confirm a worrying trend of political repression further shrinking the space for any form of dissent in Bahrain today,” Kaye said, adding, “The arbitrary sentencing of such a prominent political leader to nine years of detention inevitably has a strong chilling effect for the entire society.”

“The fact that the sentence against Ali al-Salman was not only confirmed, but doubled following various statements indicating international concern on his trial, is deeply disappointing.”

The latest statement has also been endorsed by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai; the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Heiner Bielefeldt; and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Forst.

In September 2015, the UN group concluded that Salman's detention was arbitrary.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has repeatedly called on the Manama regime to release the secretary general of Bahrain’s main opposition bloc, al-Wefaq.

Amnesty International recently scolded Bahrain for harassment of dissidents, following the new sentence handed to Salman.

An appeals court in Bahrain increased a four-year jail term given to Salman to nine years on May 30.

In June 2015, a Bahraini court sentenced him to four years in prison on charges such as insulting the Bahraini Interior Ministry and inciting others to break the law. He was acquitted of seeking regime change.

Sheikh Salman was arrested in December 2014 on charges of attempting to overthrow the Manama regime and collaborating with foreign powers. He denies the charges, saying he has been seeking reforms in the country through peaceful means.

The US-based Human Rights First, an international human rights organization has also recently called on the US administration to demand the immediate release of the 50-year-old dissident.

Bahrain, a close ally of the US in the Persian Gulf region, has been witnessing almost daily protests against the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty since mid-February 2011. The heavy-handed crackdown on demonstrations with the help of Saudi Arabia has left scores of people dead.

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