BAHRAIN: Al Wefaq leader Ali Salman says decision to suspend Bahrain's opposition group is politically motivated

Record ID: 645099

  • Title: BAHRAIN: Al Wefaq leader Ali Salman says decision to suspend Bahrain's opposition group is politically motivated
  • Date: 29th October 2014
  • Summary: MANAMA, BAHRAIN (OCTOBER 28, 2014) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF AL-WEFAQ ISLAMIC SOCIETY BUILDING SIGN READING (Arabic and English) 'AL-WEFAQ NATIONAL ISLAMIC SOCIETY' MEMBERS OF AL-WEFAQ SEATED IN MEETING SECRETARY GENERAL OF AL-WEFAQ, BAHRAIN'S MAIN OPPOSITION GROUP, ALI SALMAN, TALKING TO MEMBERS OF GROUP (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SECRETARY GENERAL OF AL-WEFAQ, BAHRAIN'S MAIN OPPOSITION GROUP, ALI SALMAN, SAYING: "The ruling that was announced today is a political one to overpower the will of the Bahraini people who are seeking justice and freedom." SALMAN IN MEETING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SECRETARY GENERAL OF AL-WEFAQ, BAHRAIN'S MAIN OPPOSITION GROUP, ALI SALMAN, SAYING: "I am concerned and fear that the ongoing and increasing pressure will make the people lose faith and trust. This may, God forbid, effect the peaceful activity due to the pressure that is being put on the opposition." MEMBERS OF GROUP DURING MEETING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SECRETARY GENERAL OF AL-WEFAQ, BAHRAIN'S MAIN OPPOSITION GROUP, ALI SALMAN, SAYING: "These activities (marking Ashura) have been taking place long before the Al-Khalifa rule and have been continuing ever since and these are all done in a peaceful way. The regime must respect the traditions and values of these communities and must know how to deal with them in a positive way." MOURNERS MARKING THE HOLY MONTH OF MUHARRAM IN STREET SHI'ITE CLERICS WALKING THROUGH SMALL EXHIBITION DURING ASHURA RITUALS VARIOUS OF MOURNERS MARKING THE HOLY MONTH OF MUHARRAM IN STREET STREET DECORATED IN BLACK AND GREEN BANNERS
  • Embargoed: 13th November 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Bahrain
  • Country: Bahrain
  • Topics: General,Politics,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVAE95LWPGDPS7G1E2CGZH7IUARL
  • Story Text: The leader of Al Wefaq, Bahrain's main opposition group, says a court ruling to suspend the activities of his group for three months is political.
    The court ruling which was announced on Tuesday (October 28) comes ahead of a November parliamentary election which the group has already pledged to boycott.
    The suspension, which the justice minister said would not be enforced until Al Wefaq had held its general conference, was expected to deepen a political crisis that has gripped the U.S.-ally since mass protests in 2011 demanding reforms.
    "The ruling that was announced today is a political one to overpower the will of the Bahraini people who are seeking justice and freedom," Salman told Reuters TV.
    Salman told Reuters the group was in touch with legal advisers about how to proceed.
    The move appeared to be the result of a court case brought by the government in July against the organization, arguing it had broken the law and its own statutes.
    Al Wefaq said two weeks ago it would not take part in the Nov. 22 poll because parliament would not have enough power and because voting districts favoured the Gulf Arab kingdom's ruling Sunni Muslims.
    But it still condemned the suspension as "irrational and irresponsible" and said the government appeared to be "moving to destroy political and social life by blocking the people out".
    "I am concerned and fear that the ongoing and increasing pressure will make the people lose faith and trust. This may, God forbids, affect the peaceful activity due to the pressure that is being put on the opposition," Salman added.
    Al Wefaq, which has strong links to Bahrain's Shi'ite majority, won 18 out of 40 parliamentary seats in a 2010 election, but pulled out of parliament a year later during a crackdown against mostly Shi'ite Muslim protesters demanding greater democracy.
    Since the February 2011 demonstrations, Bahrain has been shaken by low-level unrest.
    Stalled reconciliation talks between the al-Khalifa ruling family and the Shi'ite opposition were revived early this year but later appeared to stall following prosecutions of Al Wefaq officials on a variety of charges.
    Shi'ites complain they are subjected to systematic political and economic discrimination, a charge the government denies.
    Meanwhile, Salman comments come at a time when thousands of Shi'ite Bahrainis are marking Muharram, which celebrates the anniversary of the Battle of Karbala where the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad and his family members were killed.
    Many Shi'ites dress in black and march in the streets of capital Manama to remember Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, and his family who were martyred in battle in A.D. 680 in the Iraqi city of Karbala.
    Salman said this occasion and its traditions must be respected by the regime.
    "These activities have been taking place long before the Al-Khalifa rule and have been continuing ever since and these are all done in a peaceful way. The regime must respect the traditions and values of these communities and must know how to deal with them in a positive way," said Salman.
    Bahrain, an ally of fellow Sunni monarchy Saudi Arabia and home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, accuses Shi'ite Gulf power Iran of stirring up unrest and says it has made many reforms since 2011. Iran denies those charges.
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