Dubai: Bahraini authorities arrested a top opposition leader Sunday, less than a month after he was freed from prison following time served for his role in Arab Spring-inspired protests in the tiny island kingdom.
The Interior Ministry said in a brief Twitter statement that Ebrahim Sharif, the former secretary general of the National Democratic Action Society, was detained for “violating the law.”
The secular, leftist political group, which also goes by the Arabic name Wa’ad, said the arrest took place about 2:30 a.m. at Sharif’s home and that authorities began preliminary investigations.
Sharif was freed from prison last month after serving more than four years for his role in 2011 protests calling for reform in the kingdom, a Western ally that hosts the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.
Sharif was one of several prominent anti-government figures convicted by a military-led tribunal after a government crackdown on the protest movement. Several other prominent opposition leaders and activists remain behind bars.
Wa’ad said Sharif now faces charges of incitement of hatred against and contempt of the government, and is being detained for 48 hours pending further investigation. The Bahraini government’s Information Affairs Authority did not elaborate on the reasons for the arrest, saying it would provide further details once the investigation is complete.
