Detention of Bahraini opposition leader condemned

Tehran, Dec 31, IRNA - The arrest of Sheikh Ali Salman, one of Bahrainˈs most influential and popular opposition figures, highlights the rulersˈ reluctance to reform, and continuing contempt for civil rights and public demands for political reform, said the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC). ˈThe arrest of Sheikh Ali is yet more proof of the bankruptcy of this ridiculous regime. Perhaps what is more telling however is the Westˈs response. The little or no condemnation highlights once more that the reality of the situation simply thus: The Bahraini regime continues its repression with the full blessing of those who created and support it,ˈ IHRC chairman Massoud Shadjareh said. Sheikh Ali, the leader of Bahrainˈs biggest political opposition group Al-Wefaq, was placed under arrest following a day of questioning at the General Directorate for Criminal Investigations in the capital Manama, according to an IHRC press release. He is accused of receiving support from abroad, false incitement, incitement against the government and incitement to hatred. Additional charges include broadcasting false news with the objective of causing public panic and charges relating to claims that he was tortured in prison. The arrest came after a mass demonstration last Friday in which Salman joined thousands of people in Manama demanding the dismissal of the government and parliament. IHRC said Sheikh Aliˈs arrest is part of an ongoing campaign of repression aimed at stifling calls for reform of Bahrainˈs autocratic monarchical system. ˈProtests have continued in the country as the al-Khalifa regime continues to ignore the conclusions of an international commission of inquiry set up in 2011 to investigate the Arab Spring uprisings of that year in which Shia mosques and holy places were razed, doctors and opposition leaders arrested and tortured and tens of protestors killed,ˈ the London-based rights organization said in press release. ˈNone of the Inquiryˈs main recommendations which include judicial and legislative reforms ensuring fair trials, an end to torture, and criminal accountability for rights violators have been implemented. At the same time human rights and opposition leaders continue to be arrested for speaking out against the government.ˈ Only a few weeks ago, IHRC added, leading Bahraini human rights campaigner Zainab al-Khawaja, the daughter of an activist serving a life sentence for his part in the 2011 uprising, was handed a three-year jail term for ripping up a picture of King Hamad. Nearly all the major opposition parties including Al-Wefaq boycotted parliamentary elections held last month saying they were ˈwindow dressingˈ in the absence of any meaningful progress on establishing fundamental rights and curbing the powers of the royal family. Bahrainˈs reluctance to embrace reform is in large part a result of the continuing support it receives from the West, read the press release. Earlier this month the UK Defence Secretary announced that Britain would be establishing a naval base in the country giving it a permanent base in the kingdom since withdrawing armed forces from its former protectorate in 1971. The move came despite a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee report published in November which found that there was ˈlittle or no evidence that Bahrain has made enough progress in implementing political reform and safeguarding human rights.ˈ