Bahrain's top opposition leader rejects coup plotting charges

Bahraini opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman, arrested for allegedly trying to overthrow the kingdom's government, rejected the charge as his trial opened on Wednesday, a judicial source said.

The judge decided to keep Salman behind bars and set the next hearing in Manama for 25 February, his Al-Wefaq bloc said.

Salman, 49, was arrested 28 December, sparking near-daily protests across Bahrain.

The Wefaq leader has been accused of "promoting the overthrow and change of the political regime by force" and of inciting disobedience and hatred in public statements.

He was present at Wednesday's hearing before the Higher Criminal Court, which was held under tight security and attended by representatives of several Western embassies.

Salman's defence team called for his release on bail as the opposition chief pleaded not guilty, judicial sources said.

Amnesty International also released a statement on Wednesday calling for charges against Salman to be dropped and for his immediate release. 

His arrest has also sparked condemnation from the United States, Iran and international human rights groups.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, 109 parliamentarians from 43 countries called for Salman's "immediate release".

Salman himself, in a letter from prison published on Wefaq's website, likened himself to Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in South African prisons during his fight against apartheid.

"I am in prison for the same reasons that led to the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela - (the call for) equality, freedom and democracy," he said.

"Do not feel sad for my imprisonment. I am ready to spend my whole life as a prisoner for you and for your children's happiness."

Salman said he had been questioned over his calls for an end to "discrimination" against Shiites and for "a democratic regime" in Bahrain.

He urged the international community to "support the Bahraini people in democratically choosing their government... and protect their peaceful gatherings from (state) brutality."

Wefaq said the charges against Salman lack credibility, "as he is known to be a prominent advocate of peace and reform".

Salman's "continued detention will only deepen the gap between the regime and the people," Wefaq said in a statement.

And it "demonstrates the regime's inability to coexist with its people, who have continued to call for their universal political rights under a security fist, for decades."

Tiny but strategic Bahrain, which is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, has been rocked by unrest since a 2011 Shiite-led uprising demanding a constitutional monarchy and more representative government.

At least 89 people have been killed in clashes with security forces since 2011, while hundreds have been arrested and put on trial.