Bahrain suspects opposition chief of ‘hatred, violence’

DUBAI — Detained Bahraini Shiite opposition chief Sheikh Ali Salman is suspected of inciting hatred and violence, a minister said, warning against any escalation in protests that saw supporters clashing with police Monday.

News of the Al Wefaq leader's arrest Sunday prompted hundreds of his supporters onto the streets of Shiite villages outside the capital of the Sunni-ruled kingdom, leading to clashes with security forces.

Police have fired tear gas and birdshot to disperse them, many of whom had gathered in Salman's home village of Bilad Al Qadeem, witnesses said.

Salman has been mainly "subjected to questioning for breaches of the law, including inciting hatred and violence", Information Minister Isa Abdulrahman Al Hammadi told AFP.

He is also being questioned about "promoting political change using illegal and forceful means and for explicitly inciting hatred against specific segments of the society”.

Authorities had been tight-lipped about Salman's whereabouts since summoning over "violating certain aspects of the law”.

Salman's lawyer, Abdullah Al Shamlan, tweeted Sunday that his client had been arrested and accused of inciting hatred against the regime and calling for its overthrow by force.

Shamlan said he was also accused of insulting the judiciary and the executive branch, sectarian incitement, spreading false news likely to cause panic and undermine security and participating in events detrimental to the economy.

He said he had not been allowed to attend Salman's questioning.

Hammadi said: "The government of Bahrain supports the right to free speech, which is protected by the constitution, but no country and no government can allow hate speech to go by unchecked."

He warned that any escalation in violence will be dealt with "in accordance with the law in Bahrain" where authorities clamp down on unauthorised protests.

A statement of opposition groups led by Al Wefaq said Salman's detention is "an escalating step that targets social stability and civil peace in Bahrain”.

Authorities are "moving backward to a police state instead of taking steps towards a political solution and an end to the serious human rights violations against citizens."

On Monday, clerics gathered in Imam Al Sadeq Mosque in Al Guful village, brandishing photographs of Salman, pictures posted on Al  Wefaq's Twitter account showed.

The party has demanded Salman's immediate release.

Several rights groups have also condemned Salman's arrest.

'Insult to people' 

Top Shiite clerics issued a statement late Sunday criticising the questioning of Salman as a "huge insult to the whole people".

Four leading clerics, including Isa Al Qassem, considered the spiritual leader of Al Wefaq, said summoning Salman does not demonstrate "wise political reasoning", warning that harming Salman "amounts to harming the whole population".

The Gulf kingdom, with a majority Shiite population but ruled by the Sunni Al Khalifa dynasty, has been gripped by sporadic violence ever since the authorities crushed monthlong protests led by Al Wefaq in 2011.

At least 89 people have been killed since then in clashes with security forces, and hundreds have been arrested and put on trial, human rights groups say.

Strategically located just across the Gulf from Iran, Bahrain is home base of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, and Britain announced plans earlier this month to build a naval base of its own there.

Bahrain is also a partner in the US-led coalition carrying out air strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria.

Authorities have rejected Al Wefaq's demand for an elected prime minister to replace the current government dominated by the ruling family.

Al Wefaq's announcement that it would boycott a November parliamentary election it dismissed as a farce was followed by a court order banning the party in late October.

Salman, reelected as party leader Friday, marked the occasion by leading a protest march outside the capital.

In other developments Monday, a Manama court sentenced two Shiites to death and a third to life in prison for killing a policeman, BNA state news agency said. Nine others were jailed for six years over involvement in the explosion that killed him.