# Ali Salman sent into exile (January 1995)

URL: https://allhistories.com/bahrain/timeline/1995-ali-salman-sent-into-exile
Location: Manama, Bahrain
Themes: main-event

In January 1995 the government forced the cleric Ali Salman into exile. According to Wikipedia's article on him, he was sent to Dubai and then travelled to London, where he sought asylum. The History of Bahrain article describes the event as a deportation after his arrest in December 1994, while another article says that he and other opposition leaders were 'exiled'. Salman had led a campaign to restore the constitution and parliament. In London he worked with the Bahrain Freedom Movement and issued communiqués calling for the reinstatement of parliament. The expulsion removed a leading figure from the domestic arena, but the protests continued, and other leaders were arrested in April 1995. Salman returned to Bahrain in March 2001 under the general amnesty that accompanied the reforms announced by the king. He later led the Al-Wefaq society, the main Shia political group of the 2000s, which was dissolved in 2016. His exile illustrates the use of deportation and imprisonment against opposition figures in the 1990s. At this point in the timeline (1995), Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (1971 – 1999) ruled the State of Bahrain as Emir and head of state following independence in 1971; Prime Minister of Bahrain Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa (1970 – 2020) led the government.

## Why it matters
The exile removed a prominent opposition leader and established an exile opposition in London.

Ruler at the Time: [Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (Emir)](https://allhistories.com/bahrain/rulers/isa-bin-salman-al-khalifa-emir)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Ali Salman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Salman)
- [Wikipedia — History of Bahrain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Bahrain)