Iran Deplores Suspension of Bahraini Opposition Group

Iran’s Foreign Ministry denounced the Manama regime’s decision to suspend activities of Bahrain’s main opposition bloc, Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, saying such punitive measures will only complicate the Arab country’s situation.
“The Bahraini government’s policy of confronting people’s peaceful protests by intensifying security measures, imprisoning moderate (opposition) leaders and human rights activists, as well as shutting down the offices of political and social societies will further complicate that country’s internal crisis,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari said on Thursday.
He also expressed the hope that the Manama government would take measures to build trust and prepare the ground for serious negotiations to bring about calm and stability in the Persian Gulf nation.
The Al Khalifa’s decision to suspend Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society had drawn widespread condemnation.
The official Bahrain News Agency (BNA) said on Tuesday that a Bahraini court has issued an order suspending the activities of Al-Wefaq, pending a verdict on dissolving the society on charges of “terrorism, extremism, and violence”.
In a statement after the court’s verdict, Al-Wefaq said none of the Al Khalifa regime’s measures or plans are based on legal grounds.
“The Al Khalifa regime’s decision to dissolve Al-Wefaq has its roots in the regime’s failure to create a gap between the people and the group,” the statement read.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah Resistance Movement has also condemned the move by the Bahraini regime, saying that such measures are a flagrant violation of human rights and freedoms that any nation in the world should enjoy.
Bahrain, a close ally of the US in the Persian Gulf region, has been witnessing almost daily protests against the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011, with Manama using heavy-handed measures in an attempt to crush the demonstrations.
Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on the peaceful demonstrations.