Bahrain Mirror: The Bahraini Public Prosecution renewed the detention of opposition leader and former Secretary-General of the National Democratic Action Society "Wa'ad", Ebrahim Sharif, for 15 further days pending investigation.

The authorities arrested Sharif from his home on July 12, 2015 over a speech he delivered during the funeral procession of martyr Housam Al-Haddad. Sharif appeared before the prosecution on July 14. For its part. The prosecution charged him with inciting violence against the authorities and promoting the change of the regime by force, before it ordered detaining him for 15 days pending investigation.

Sharif was re-arrested three weeks after he had been released by a royal pardon. He spent 4 years and 3 months in prison over a case known as the "figures" case in which various prison terms were brought against prominent opposition leaders reaching up to life-imprisonment.

Washington criticized the re-arrest of Ebrahim Sharif, the detention and prosecution of opposition figure Majeed Milad, and reports about the re-opening of the case against Secretary-General of Al-Wefaq Political Society Sheikh Ali Salman, pointing out that these steps "raise serious concerns about restrictions on freedom of expression in Bahrain."

The Arabic Issue