Bahrain Shiite opposition party Al-Wefaq has called for a two-day long economic boycott to protest the trial and imprisonment of its leader Sheikh Ali Salman, Press TV reported Tuesday.
The boycott is scheduled to begin Tuesday night. Salman's trial will take place Wednesday.
The organizers of the economic boycott want to include the closure of all private and state financial institutions.
Salman was arrested in Bahrain's capital Manama in late December on charges of inciting the overthrow of the regime, hatching anti-government plots by forceful means, and inciting disobedience and hatred, according to the published statement of the Bahraini court.
The trial of Bahrain's top opposition leader is set to begin on Wednesday, in a case that has seen tensions flare after the government charged him with multiple offences, including inciting a "change of government by force, spreading hatred among a segment of society and insulting the interior ministry".
Salman's arrest and detention resulted in mass protests across Bahrain as opposition supporters organized large protest rallies demanding their leader's release.
Salman's arrest and detention resulted in mass protests across Bahrain as opposition supporters organized large protest rallies demanding their leader's release.
Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society organized anti-government protests by Shia muslims, beginning in Bahrain in 2011. Shia Muslims, the majority population in Bahrain, protested against alleged discrimination by the Sunni Al Khalifa royal family.
After the crackdown on protest rallies by the royal family and its ruling party, the Shia opposition left parliament and boycotted 2014 elections.
Meanwhile al-Khalifa police forces have warned that action will be taken against anyone who attempts to disrupt business or threaten the public, following calls by Bahrain's political opposition for an economic boycott, according to Bahrain “Daily news”.
There have already been reports of clashes between anti-government protesters and police following Shaikh Salman's arrest. Most of this peaceful protest severely crack downed by al-Khalifa forces with the tools like poisonous and tear gas and bird shot guns which is internationally illegal.
'Calls to hinder public security or the normal flow of public life are being followed up,' said an Interior Ministry statement issued yesterday.
'He (the Deputy Chief of Public Security) asserted that legal procedures will be taken against any incident that terrorises the public or hinders public security, including the business community.
al- Khalifa Intensifies Crackdown on the eve of Revolution's Anniversary
Al-Khalifa Regime forces have attacked protesters demanding the release of a prominent Bahraini opposition figure. The forces confronted anti-monarchy protesters in the capital Manama and the village of Bani Jamra in the country’s northwest, Sunday Observer reports.
Bahrain opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman was remanded in custody on December 23 on charges including seeking regime change, prompting his group to decry "tyrannical rule" in the Gulf kingdom. AFP
Anti-government demonstrations continued in several towns across the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom against Salman’s detention, with protesters chanting slogans against the ruling Al Khalifa family.
Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters who gathered in Sheikh Salman’s hometown Bilad al-Qadeem on the outskirts of the capital Manama.
The angry demonstrators stressed that Salman’s detention would not stop them from demanding their rights. They also called for the downfall of the unelected regime in Manama.
Bahrain, a close ally of the United States in the region, has been witnessing almost daily protests against the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011.
Bahraini forces have killed close to 90 activists over the past years of uprising, while hundreds of protesters as well as notable opposition figures continue to remain under arrest in the regimes .