Manama, Bahrain - A Bahraini opposition leader said Saturday that he had filed libel cases against a local paper and several government figures over a series of articles published about him since 1997.

Abdulla Hashim in papers filed with the court said that he was asking Al Ayam, a liberal pro-government newspaper, to pay 50,000 Bahraini dinars (133,000 dollars) in damages for a series of articles about him.

Hashim, himself a lawyer, alleged that the articles were politically motivated, pointing out that paper's chairman of the board, Nabeel al Hamer, is an advisor to Bahrain's king and a former minister of information.

Hashim also named Bahrain's current minister of culture and information, Sheikha May bin Mohammed al-Kalifah, and the First Attorney General, Ali Ben Fadel al-Bouaynein, as defendants in the case.

"The list of defendants has not closed and I might name others," Hashim told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Hashim heads the Sunni opposition National Justice Movement, known for its support of resistance movements against the US presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, and its demands for further political reforms in the Gulf island.

A Bahraini civil court is expected to hear the case early next month, according to court documents. (dpa)