SHAFAQNA – People in Bahrain’s capital of Manama staged peaceful protests on Sunday to voice their outrage over the prolonged detention of senior Shiite opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman and call for his immediate release.
The protesters poured into the streets of al-Musalla area in Manama to urge the Al Khalifa regime to immediately release Sheikh Salman, who is the secretary general of Bahrain’s main opposition bloc al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, and other political prisoners.
Chanting anti-regime slogans, the demonstrators emphasized that Bahrainis will not retreat from their rights and will continue their protests until the establishment of “true democracy” in the Persian Gulf country.
Sheikh Salman was arrested in late December 2014 over alleged anti-regime incitements. Manama accuses him of seeking regime change and collaborating with foreign powers.
His arrest has triggered condemnation inside and outside Bahrain, with leaders, governments and international organizations across the world calling for his immediate release.
Back in April, Amnesty International called on the Bahraini regime to release all political prisoners.
The Western-allied kingdom, which is home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, has been witnessing almost daily protests against the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011, with Manama using heavy-handed measures in an attempt to crush the demonstrations.
Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on the peaceful demonstrations.