Bahrain Mirror: Niccolò Talamanca, Secretary-General of the Rome-based international non-governmental organization "No Peace Without Justice", called for the release of Sheikh Ali Salman, Secretary-General of Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, describing the detention as absurd.

Talamnaca stated in a videotaped message: "My name is Niccolò figà Talamanca. I am the Secretary-General of the international organization, No Peace without Justice. I offer this testimony with respect to the charges against Sheikh Ali Salman. Sheikh Ali Salman is a well-known public figure. His public statements and his private statements, in the meetings that I have attended, have consistently been those of a message of nonviolence, those of a decision, a conscious decision and responsible decision and clear political stance that nonviolent methods, nonviolent policies and non-violent methodologies would be the best way forward for the country of Bahrain. The charges of incitement to violence are clearly ill-founded and clearly are a way to punish him without evidence."

"The further detention of Sheikh Ali Salman stands as an indictment of the judicial system in Bahrain", Talamanca said. "If the charges are related to his public statements than his continued detention for investigation is absurd and unnecessary. How can there be a need to detain somebody pending investigations when the investigations are on public statements which are on the record?" he added.

"This is clearly something which is done to punish him in attempt to radicalize the society, to create a disruption within the society, to benefit those within the administration, within the Bahraini authorities, who have chosen the way and path to violence and to disturbance against the path of nonviolence, which is the path chosen by Sheikh Ali Salman," Talamanca further stated.

The Arabic Issue