Bahrain opposition leader Ali Salman's retrial on November

Manama : The Supreme Appeals Court will rehear the case of Ali Salman, who was the General Secretary of the dissolved Al Wefaq Islamic Society, on November 6. 

Ali Salman is standing trial on charges of publicly inciting hatred among a segment of society, insulting the Ministry of Interior and calling to change the regime by force.

His trial has gone through several turns and twists. The defendant was initially sentenced to four years behind the bars after the High Criminal Court found him guilty of all the charges except for calling to change the regime by force. 

But an appeals court decided to hand him nine years, after it overturned his acquittal of the aforementioned charge. However, the Cassation Court, the Kingdom’s top court, rejected the appeals court’s verdict, ordering a retrial before a different appeals court. 

The 49-year-old defendant was earlier referred to trial over public statements he made on several occasions. 

Among the evidences presented against him were recordings of public speeches between 2013-14 that promoted political change, confronting State authorities, calls to stage unlawful protests, in addition to incitement to non-compliance with the law. 

The High Criminal Court had earlier highlighted in its ruling several remarks he had made publicly, including degrading the naturalised Bahraini citizens as well as terming them mercenaries. 

The court has also underlined that his remarks have nothing to do with freedom of speech.