Bahraini protesters demand release of imprisoned activists

Bahrainis took to the streets of different districts and villages in and around the capital Manama, including Diraz, Karzakan, Malikiyah and Bilad al-Qadim, after Friday prayers.

They also called on the Bahraini regime to immediately free prominent opposition leader Sheikh Ali Slaman -- the secretary general of the main opposition bloc, the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society.

Salman was detained on December 28, 2014 on charges of attempting to overthrow the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty and collaboration with foreign powers. He has strongly denied the charges, emphasizing that he has been seeking reforms in Bahrain through peaceful means.

On June 16, a Bahraini court sentenced Salman to four years in prison on charges such as insulting the country's Interior Ministry and inciting others to break the law. He was acquitted of seeking regime change.

Moreover, the protesters also strongly condemned recent raids by Al Khalifa security forces against political activists.

The Bahraini Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that security forces had stormed the houses of anti-government activists in different parts of the capital, and arrested nearly 50 people.

Amnesty International and other rights groups have repeatedly censured the Bahraini regime for its “rampant” human rights abuses against opposition activists and anti-government protesters.

Anti-regime protesters have been holding demonstrations on the streets of Bahrain since mid-February 2011, calling for the Al Khalifa family to relinquish power.

The ongoing heavy-handed crackdown on peaceful demonstrations has left scores of Bahrainis dead and hundreds of others injured.