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Dr. Reema Shaalan
Today marks the tenth anniversary of Sheikh Ali Salman’s arrest, ten years since the disappearance of a voice that has always spoken of freedom and dignity. He stands towering behind bars, a prisoner not because of his weakness, but because of the strength of his word and his belief and principles. A decade of detention did not extinguish the glow of his cause, but rather increased its radiance in the hearts of free people.
Sheikh Ali Salman, Secretary-General of the largest opposition political society in Bahrain, was arrested on December 28, 2014, on charges related to freedom of opinion and expression. After a trial that lacked standards of justice, he was sentenced to four years in prison. Before the end of that sentence, he was charged with new charges of “spying for Qatar,” coinciding with Bahrain’s announcement in June 2017 that it was cutting ties with Qatar, which delayed his release from prison and the start of a new trial that ended with a final “judgment” on January 28, 2019, sentencing him to life in prison.
The conviction was based on a phone call Sheikh Salman received from the then Qatari Foreign Minister, as part of diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis that erupted in Bahrain in 2011, when relations between Bahrain and Qatar were at their best.
However, the call on which the verdict was based was presented in a fragmented and truncated manner, which was marred by manipulation and interpretation. In addition, Sheikh Salman’s right to present his full defense was violated, which constitutes a flagrant violation of fair trial standards.
Despite the Gulf reconciliation with Qatar in 2021 and the return of relations between the two countries, Sheikh Salman is still serving a life sentence, which reinforces the belief that the motives for his arrest are purely political.
Sheikh Salman and all prisoners of conscience must be freed, because they are not guilty. Sheikh Ali is a man of enlightened thought, and a voice of reason calling for peacefulness and dialogue as the only way to resolve the crisis. He has only received this international support and repeated demands for his freedom from human rights organizations because he is sincere in defending justice and dignity.
Despite a decade of his imprisonment, Sheikh Ali Salman’s heart remains filled with love, far from hatred. The prison bars that surrounded his body did not diminish the purity of his soul, nor did they extinguish the light of his wisdom and faith. He continues to extend his hand for reform, believing that nations are built on tolerance, and that injustice, no matter how long it lasts, cannot triumph over the will of good.
We call with firm faith for his release, as he is a symbol that his homeland needs, his place among his people, guiding them with his wisdom and illuminating the paths of reform towards a better future.
Sheikh Ali Salman is not only my life partner, but he is my role model and symbol of dignity and justice. These years have not planted despair or boredom in me, but have increased my pride in him and my faith in the sublimity of his cause. I long for the day when his chains are broken so that he can return free. His absence is a chain for all of us, and his freedom is a hope that we cling to, as he is a man who carries in his heart inexhaustible love and goodness that flows to everyone.
Dr. Reema Shaalan: Sheikh Ali Salman’s wife, Bahraini lawyer and PhD in law