Bahrain opposition loses appeal against dissolution

Bahrain's top court rejected today an appeal by the country's main opposition group Al-Wefaq against its dissolution over terrorism-related charges, a judicial source said.

The court of cassation "denied the appeal against the dissolution of Al-Wefaq and the seizure of its assets," the source said.

The decision comes three months after the Gulf kingdom's largest Shiite formation appealed a court order to dissolve it over charges of inciting violence, encouraging demonstrations and "harbouring terrorism".

The court ruling drew strong criticism from the United Nations as well as international human rights groups.

Al-Wefaq leader Sheikh Ali Salman has been behind bars since 2014 after being convicted of inciting hatred.

Al-Wefaq was the largest group in parliament before its lawmakers resigned en masse in protest at the crushing of Arab Spring-inspired demonstrations in 2011 calling for an elected government.

The Shiite Muslim group has called for Sunni-ruled Bahrain to become a constitutional monarchy.

The Shiite majority in Bahrain, which has been ruled by the Al-Khalifa dynasty for more than two centuries, has long complained of marginalisation and the country has been rocked by sporadic unrest since 2011.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)