The leading Shiite cleric and spiritual mentor of Bahrain's opposition, Sheik Abdul-Ameer al-Jamri, died Monday of heart and kidney failure. He was 67.
Bahraini across the tiny island state went into deep mourning, hanging black flags and banners outside their houses and pasting pictures of al-Jamri on walls and car windows
Al-Jamri served in Bahrain's first parliament in 1973-75, which was dissolved by the emir.
Twenty years later he became the religious leader of the campaign for the restoration of democracy and equal rights.
Al-Jamri was detained for 3 1/2 years on charges of espionage and incitement charges. In July 1999, he was convicted and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. But he was pardoned the next day by the new emir, the current King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who was beginning a program of political reform that led to new parliamentary elections in 2002.
Al-Jamri had 10 children.