SHAFAQNA – A Bahraini court sentenced a Shia cleric to two years in prison on Tuesday (April 28, 2015), over charges of unauthorized fundraising. Bahrain government forces arrested Sayed Sadiq Al-Maliki on Sunday (April 5, 2015) and questioned him for four hours over charges of raising money and paying it to suspicious groups before referring him to the Public Prosecution. This move by the regime was considered part of its ongoing campaign against religious Shiite scholars in Bahrain. It is well-known that Al-Maliki wasn’t involved in politics. A number of attorneys criticized how the ruling was issued after only two hearings, stressing that the court’s decision is a punishment against a part of the society that has called for democratic transition of power.
