Bahraini regime seeks to bring opposition to its knees: Bahraini Ex-MP

Press TV has conducted an interview with Jalal Fairooz, a former Bahraini legislator in London, to get his take on a Bahraini attorney general’s demand for a tougher sentence against Sheikh Ali Salman, who is the prominent leader of the opposition al-Wefaq National Islamic Society.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Why do you think the attorney general’s asking for tougher sentence against Sheikh Salman, specifically that he’s already gotton four years in prison?

Fairooz: Well, the reasons are two.

First of all, the public prosecution is not independent of the government of Bahrain. The government and even the so-called judges and the court are not independent. They are being appointed by the ruler and by Ministry of Justice actually, and as the international community has always reiterated that there is no justice in Bahrain and the courts are not independent at all.

First, it is part of the retaliation against Sheikh Ali Salman that they want even heavier sentencing on Sheikh Ali Salman. Secondly, they just want to show the world that ‘OK, there is something in Bahrain called courts and the public prosecution and that the public prosecution thinks that Sheikh Ali Salman deserves a heavier sentencing.’

Now, what is going on is that Sheikh Ali Salman’s sentencing have brought a great anger in Bahrain, more demonstrations are going on and actually, the people think that the government has tried the logic and the civil rights of the people.

Sheikh Ali Salman was the person of dialogue who was person of peace. He’s all the time calling for peaceful demonstrations. He has condemned all source of violence from wherever it is. So, it is actually a trial of the immediate mind of the political parties.

Press TV: Speaking of which, Mr. Fairooz, as you’ve just pointed out, Sheikh Ali Salman has been a leading figure of this peaceful uprising in Bahrain, where people asking for their legitimate rights and democracy. By giving him a tougher sentence and harsher charges for example, do you think that the Bahraini regime is trying to scare and intimidate the people of Bahrain, whoever tries to rise up in support of Sheikh Ali Salman that this is what happens when you ask for your rights in the country?

Fairooz: Exactly, that’s the same. That’s why other prominent figures of the opposition have been detained. Just in the past two weeks, two of the main figures also of the opposition, Fadhel Abbas, the head of one of the political parties, and Majid Milad, the member of the secretary general secretariat of al-Wafaq, also were detained.

Yes, the message from the government is that unless you stop demanding for the least legitimate rights of the people, then we will come hard on you. It is just like they’re holding Sheikh Ali Salman and the others as hostages just to put the opposition at their knees. That’s why the opposition has issued statement that it will not give in. It will continue its struggle because it doesn’t have the right to retreat from the people’s demand, which is very very legitimate.

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