The Deputy Secretary-General of Bahrain’s opposition Al-Wafaq movement Sheikh Hussein Al-Daihi described the jailed cleric as a ‘symbol for all free people’.

Sayed Al Meshaal chaired the now-dissolved Islamic Scholars Council – one of Bahrain’s leading Shiite religious institutions.

He was arrested in July 2016 and later sentenced to a two and a half year prison term.

His arrest and charges stem from his participation in a round-the-clock vigil around the home of Bahrain’s highest religious authority, Sheikh Isa Qassim.

The jailing and harassment of Shiite clerics in Bahrain has become increasingly frequent in recent years, drawing a wave of condemnation from rights groups and the UN.