Check your inbox
We just sent a link to your inbox. Click the link to continue signing in. Can’t find it? Check your spam & junk mail.
Didn't get a link?
Use password?
Check your inbox
We just sent a link to your inbox. Click the link to continue resetting your password. Can’t find it? Check your spam & junk mail.
Didn't get a link?
Check your inbox
We just sent a link to your inbox. Click the link to continue registering. Can’t find it? Check your spam & junk mail.
Didn't get a link?
Join Rappler+
Join Move
How often would you like to pay?
Annual Subscription
Monthly Subscription
Your payment was interrupted
Exiting the registration flow at this point will mean you will loose your progress
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Bahrain released at dawn on Saturday, June 20, a Sunni opposition leader who was jailed more than 4 years for involvement in Shiite-led anti-government protests, his party announced.
The Waed secular group said on its official Twitter account that party chief Ibrahim Sharif was freed.
Bahrain, home to the United States Navy's Fifth Fleet, has been rocked by unrest since security forces crushed Shiite-led protests in 2011, demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister.
Sharif had played a prominent role in the month-long protests and was later among a group of 20 activists tried for plotting to overthrow the Sunni rulers of Shiite-majority Bahrain.
In June 2011, 8 Shiite activists were jailed for life, and the rest for two to 15 years. Sharif received a 5-year sentence.
The judgement sparked concern in Washington which criticised the "severity" of the sentences and the use of military tribunals to try civilians.
Sharif's release comes 4 days after a Bahrain court jailed prominent Shiite opposition leader Ali Salman for 4 years for inciting disobedience and hatred in the kingdom.
Salman heads Al-Wefaq Shiite political association, one of the key forces behind the 2011 protests demanding reforms in Bahrain, and his arrest in December had drawn US and Iranian condemnation. (READ: Bahrain frees opposition chief but bans him from travel)
At least 89 people have been killed in clashes with security forces since 2011, while hundreds have been arrested and put on trial, rights groups say.
Protesters continue to clash frequently with security forces in Shiite villages outside Manama. – Rappler.com