Bahrain cracks down on opposition bloc amid US concern

Bahrain suspended all activities by the main Shiite opposition group Tuesday as part of a crackdown in the Sunni-ruled kingdom that has raised concerns among rights defenders and in Washington.

A court suspended the Al-Wefaq group pending a verdict on dissolving it altogether, the justice ministry said, accusing the bloc of breaking the law.

The decision came a day after security forces rearrested leading human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, drawing a complaint from the United States.

The court also ordered Al-Wefaq offices closed and its funds frozen, said a justice ministry statement published by the official Bahrain News Agency (BNA).

Al-Wefaq draws most of its support from the Shiite majority in the small kingdom across the Gulf from Shiite Iran.

The bloc's chief, Shiite cleric Ali Salman, is currently serving a nine-year jail term for inciting violence after a court last month more than doubled his original sentence.

Salman's arrest in December 2014 sparked protests in a country already rocked by a Shiite-led uprising that erupted in February 2011.

Tuesday's ruling followed a justice ministry request for Al-Wefaq to be dissolved for alleged illegal activity.

The bloc was accused of offering a haven for "terrorism, radicalisation, and violence" and opening the way for "foreign interference" in the kingdom's affairs, the ministry said.

This was a reference to Iran, which Bahrain accuses of fomenting unrest on its soil by backing the Shiite opposition.

Al-Wefaq will be unable to operate until a verdict is issued on dissolving it, BNA reported.

A judicial source told AFP that a court will convene on October 6 to investigate the case.

The justice ministry said its move against Al-Wefaq was part of a drive to "combat extremism... and protect society".

In October 2014, the administrative court banned Al-Wefaq for three months for violating the law on associations.

Political parties are banned in Bahrain, as in other Gulf Arab monarchies, so Al-Wefaq has the status of an association.

- 'Alarming new crackdown' -

The United States called on Bahrain to reconsider the decision to dissolve Al-Wefaq, which it called "alarming".

"We are concerned this action against Al-Wefaq, as well as other recent decisions, including the detention yesterday of prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab and resentencing of Al-Wefaq chairman Sheikh Ali Salman, will restrict freedom of expression," the State Department said.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also expressed concern about the move.

Ban stressed "the right to the peaceful exercise of their freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association in Bahrain and everywhere", according to his spokesman.

The Washington-based group Human Rights First in a statement on Tuesday called Al-Wefaq's suspension "part of an alarming new crackdown by the government, designed to eliminate all remaining opposition in the country".

"The Bahraini government seems determined to kill all avenues of peaceful dissent. This is a dangerous course, and is likely to fuel extremism and deepen political instability," said the group's Brian Dooley.

"Bahrain has targeted leading human rights figures and opposition leaders in recent weeks; today's move is a major statement of intent by the regime that any prospect of reform is over."

After activist Rajab was taken back into custody, his lawyer said on Twitter Tuesday his case has been referred to the public prosecution service.

Rajab is being held for one week pending investigation on charges of "spreading false information", Mohammed al-Jishi said.

The 51-year-old was detained in 2014 for tweets deemed insulting to the authorities before his release on health grounds.

Rajab heads the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights and has led anti-government marches. He previously served two years in jail for taking part in unauthorised protests.

His rearrest comes a week after another leading opposition activist, Zeinab al-Khawaja, fled the country following her release from jail on "humanitarian grounds".

Bahrain, home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, has been shaken by unrest since security forces crushed the 2011 protests demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister.bur-dv/srm

Source: AFP