Bahrain jails secular opposition leader

A court in Bahrain has sentenced a secular Sunni opposition leader to one year in prison for inciting hatred. Ibrahim Sharif, a former secretary-general of the National Democratic Action Society, was arrested after making a speech calling for reform. He was also accused of incitement to overthrow the government by force, but the court dismissed […]

A court in Bahrain has sentenced a secular Sunni opposition leader to one year in prison for inciting hatred.
Ibrahim Sharif, a former secretary-general of the National Democratic Action Society, was arrested after making a speech calling for reform.
He was also accused of incitement to overthrow the government by force, but the court dismissed the charge.
Mr Sharif gave the speech in July, a month after being released from prison for his role in the 2011 uprising.
Bahrain has been racked by unrest since February 2011, when demonstrators occupied Manama’s Pearl Roundabout, demanding greater political rights and an end to discrimination against the majority Shia community by the Sunni royal family.
The protesters were driven out by security forces the following month, after the king brought in troops from neighbouring Sunni-led Gulf states to restore order and crush dissent.