Bahrain opposition figure gets 6 months for Sudan tweet
Posted March 13, 2019 7:10 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A prominent opposition politician in Bahrain faces up to six months in prison for a tweet about Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
Bahraini prosecutors have long targeted Ebrahim Sharif over his outspokenness in an island kingdom in the grips of a yearslong crackdown on dissent.
Both Amnesty International and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy reported the court ruling Wednesday.
Sharif must pay bail of over $1,300 to remain free pending a possible appeal.
His tweet in December 2018 called for al-Bashir to leave office. The Sudanese president has faced months of protest over his rule.
Authorities in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet and a British naval base, did not respond to a request for comment.
The Associated Press