A Bahrainian appeals court today sentenced the country`s top opposition leader Shaikh Ali Salman to nine years in prison.
The verdict for Salman, secretary general of the main opposition group, Al Wefaq National Islamic Society, was announced at a hearing attended by rights activists, diplomats and other officials, amid tight security, Xinhua news agency reported.
"Salman has been sentenced for a nine-year jail term, which the society feels is unacceptable," Al Wefaq said in a statement following the court verdict.
He was last sentenced in 2015 to four years in prison for spreading sectarianism and inciting others to break the law, among other charges.