A Bahraini court on Tuesday sentenced a leader of a main Shia opposition group to four years in prison for inciting hatred in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.
Shaikh Ali Salman, secretary general of Al Wefaq National Islamic Society, was arrested last December in connection with speeches that were deemed by authorities to have incited hatred and disobedience.
"The Higher Criminal Court sentences a secretary general of one of Bahrain's political societies to four-year imprisonment," the public prosecution said.
It added that Salman was convicted with publicly inciting hatred and not complying with the law and insulting a public institution, Xinhua news agency reported.
Following the court verdict, Al Wefaq said in a statement that the decision would deepen the "crisis" in the country.