The protest rally took place on Friday in the village of al-Muqsha following the arrest of Khalil al- Marzooq, deputy leader of Bahrain’s main opposition party, Al-Wefaq.

During the rally, Al-Wefaq’s Secretary General Sheikh Ali Salman addressed the protesters backing the detained former opposition lawmaker and censuring his arrest.

“We will persist in this revolution until the end. You have detained Khalil,” Salman told the crowd. “You can detain me for the rest of my life.”

Demonstrators also took to the streets in the village of Sitra near Manama to demand Marzooq’s release.

He was arrested on Wednesday after being summoned to court and charged with inciting “terrorism” during a speech he made last week.

Head of Bahrain’s public prosecution, Nayef Yousif, has accused Marzooq of instigating violence and having links to a group that the regime has blamed for alleged bombings and other attacks.

On September 18, Al-Wefaq boycotted national reconciliation talks in protest against the detention of Marzooq, a former deputy speaker of parliament.

Amnesty International has further urged the US-backed Al Khalifa regime to release Marzooq.

The popular uprising in Bahraini began in mid-February 2011.

Protesters initially called for political reform and a constitutional monarchy, a demand that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests.

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