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Bahrain court upholds decision to dissolve main opposition group

Xinhua, September 22, 2016 Adjust font size:

Bahrain's Supreme Appeals Court ruled on Thursday to uphold a verdict to shut down the country's main opposition group, Al Wefaq National Islamic Society.

During a court hearing, the presiding judge rejected an appeal by the group, upholding a July 17 verdict issued by the high civil court to dissolve it.

The dissolution was requested by the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments on such charges as disrespecting the constitution, seeking foreign intervention, misusing places of worship to carry out political activities and inciting people to disobey the law.

The group's secretary general, Sheikh Ali Salman, was sentenced to four years in prison on June 17, 2015. The jail term was extended to nine years on May 30 this year on charges of seeking to change Bahrain's political regime by force and spreading sectarian hate.

Its spiritual leader, cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim, had his citizenship revoked on June 20 for creating an "extremist sectarian environment" and establishing organisations linked to foreign bodies. Endit