FT: Al-Wefaq chief defies Bahrain hardliners

[محروم.كوم]

The leader of Bahrain’s main opposition group has made a rare public challenge to government hardliners in a speech that ratcheted up rhetoric more than a year after street protests rocked the Gulf island kingdom.
The move by Sheikh Ali Salman, leader of the al-Wefaq group, came as claims emerged that police had vandalised his home and the authorities moved to close down another opposition political party.

Speaking at a political gathering marking the anniversary of the end of effective martial law – introduced in March 2011 as the government cracked down on pro-democracy protests – the cleric said Bahrainis had acted with restraint in the face of the regime’s oppression because of their “love and care” towards the country.


One “fatwa,” or religious order, could have brought out “tens of thousands” ready to sacrifice their lives, he said, in what government loyalists will regard as a veiled threat.


Referring to Field Marshall Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s armed forces chief and a leading hardliner, Sheikh Ali said: “The field marshal said ‘if you come back, we will use 200 per cent more force’ but he should learn that the people are the source of power, and they have only used 50 per cent so far.”


The opposition leader’s speech came days after footage was released apparently showing men in police uniforms destroying security cameras at his home on the outskirts of the capital.


The minority Sunni-led government has said it is committed to reform in the wake of widespread human rights abuses and is open to dialogue as long as it is “inclusive and engages all parties”.


Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, a government spokesman, said: “Al-Wefaq should take into consideration the opinions of other Bahrainis and work together for a road map for political reform acceptable to the vast majority.”.


Al-Wefaq, which does not believe the government is serious about dialogue, wants talks that exclude groups which they claim are loyalists.
The justice ministry filed a lawsuit last week calling for the dissolution of the Islamic Action Society, a smaller Shia-led party, saying the group based its “resolutions on the teachings of a religious scholar which blatantly call for violence and instigate hatred”.


More than a year after the start of the protests, led by members of the country’s Shia majority, the rumble of unrest continues.
Sheikh Ali said while the government commissioned an independent inquiry into last year’s events, which attacked the security forces for systematic abuses, people were still being arrested for “a tweet”.


He was referring to the rearrest of Nabeel Rajab, a human rights activist, who was taken back into custody only days after his release over charges related to inciting illegal protests via Twitter, the microblogging site.


Mr Rajab was rearrested after he sent a further tweet accusing the prime minister of corruption and calling for him to step down.
The authorities released 11-year-old Ali Hassan this week after detaining him for three weeks at a juvenile detention centre, saying he took part in an illegal gathering in May. The boy, who said he was abused during his detention, has denied the charge.

The government says it is trying to maintain order amid sustained street violence as youths use petrol bombs against the riot police and disrupt traffic.


Ahmed al-Dhufairi, 18, died last week following an explosion in Hamad Town after he suffered second-degree burns while trying to clear a blockade of burning tyres. __DEFINE_LIKE_SHARE__