Bahrain court overturns jail term of opposition chief

Manama : A top court in Bahrain on Monday overturned a nine-year jail term against opposition chief cleric Ali Salman, convicted of inciting hatred and calling for forceful regime change.

The court of the cassation ordered a retrial of the head of Al-Wefaq political formation before the appeals court, said a judicial source.

Salman had been sentenced in July 2015 to four years in jail after being convicted of inciting hatred the kingdom.

But the appeals court in May more than doubled his jail term to nine years after reversing an earlier acquittal on charges of calling for regime change by force.

Salman's arrest in December 2014 sparked protests in Bahrain.

The cassation court had rejected a request to release the cleric earlier this month.