Bahrain crackdown on dissent fueling sectarian differences: EU

The European Union says Bahrain’s crackdown on political dissidents will only hinder efforts towards national reconciliation.

“We are witnessing a series of worrying developments, including ongoing judicial proceedings regarding the suspension of Bahraini opposition political society al-Wefaq, which point to increasing polarization of society in Bahrain,” read a statement released by the EU’s European External Action Service on Tuesday.

It added that Manama’s extending of the jail term for prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Ali Salman, the head of the main Shia opposition movement al-Wefaq, the re-arrest of prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, and revoking the citizenship of prominent figures such as Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim will only fuel sectarian differences.

Rajab, the president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, was arrested on June 13 following an intensive search of his house in the northwest of the country. His detention was extended on June 21.

On June 20, Bahrain’s Interior Ministry announced in a statement that the Al Khalifah regime has revoked Sheikh Qassim’s citizenship, claiming that he had actively sought “creation of a sectarian environment” through his connections with foreign powers, and that he had misused his religious position to advance a political agenda and serve foreign interests.

The Bahraini Justice Ministry on June 14 announced that the kingdom had suspended all activities of al-Wefaq. Manama has also dissolved al-Tawiya and al-Risala Islamic associations.

Sheikh Ali Salman has been in prison since December 2014 on charges of attempting to overthrow the regime and collaborating with foreign powers, which he has denied.

Since February 14, 2011, thousands of anti-regime protesters have held numerous demonstrations in Bahrain on an almost daily basis, calling for the Al Khalifah family to relinquish power.

Troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been deployed to the country to assist the Bahraini government in its crackdown on peaceful protests.

Scores of people have been killed and hundreds of others injured or arrested in the Bahraini crackdown on the anti-regime activists.

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