Sheikh Ali Salman, former President of the Al-Wefaq Party, and two of his collaborators, Hassan Sultan and Ali al-Aswad, have been sentenced to prison for life by the Bahrain court. They have been declared guilty of having had contact with the Qatar Regime with a view to toppling the monarchy.

The accused are all Shiite Personalities that lead the struggle against the Sunni reigning family of al Khalifa. In 2011, al Khalifa responded to peaceful demonstrations by requesting help from Saudi Arabia. The latter deployed “Eagles of Nayef” who had delivered a bloody repression.

Sheikh Ali Salman is a charismatic personality who asked for the restoration of Parliament (dissolved in 1990), organised massive demonstrations and was forced to exile from 1995 to 2001 first in Emirates and the United Kingdom. He has no ascertained links with Qatar. The Al-Wefaq Party has been banned since 2016 and the three men charged have been imprisoned since.

According to Amnesty International, a trial is being staged but justice is not being delivered. Furthermore, the three accused are prisoners of conscience.