The Western-backed Gulf kingdom of Bahrain faced renewed criticism on Tuesday after jailing the leader of the constitutional opposition for four years.
The sentence was passed down the day after a British minister visited the island to inaugurate a newly expanded naval base.
Ali Salman, who spent years in exile in Britain before returning to
Bahrain and becoming head of its biggest political party, al-Wefaq, was
accused of plotting to overthrow the monarchy, inciting sectarianism and
inciting others to break the law.
He was acquitted of the first charge, which could have brought a life sentence, but convicted of the latter.
Critics said his real offence was to boycott what al-Wefaq called sham
elections and negotiations with the government over its crackdown on the
Shia majority in Bahrain, and to call for political reform.
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