News   /   Interviews

Al Khalifa regime constantly violates human rights: Lecturer

Bahraini Shia clerics attend a protest against the revocation of the citizenship of top Bahraini Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim (portrait), on June 20, 2016. (AFP photo)

Press TV has interviewed Colin Cavell, a former Lecturer of University of Bahrain from Virginia, to discuss the widespread protests in Bahrain, especially against the regime’s revocation of Sheikh Isa Qassim’s citizenship.

Press TV: Why do you think this revocation of sheikh Qassim’s citizenship especially has struck such a chord with the Bahraini people?

Cavell: Primarily … because Sheikh Qassim is a leader of peace, well-known throughout Bahrain and the region, he has urged people to protest against the illegal actions of the government by a non-violent peaceful manner and to revoke his citizenship is considered to be anathema by all thinking citizens in Bahrain.  

Press TV: How do you think the Bahraini monarchy will act going forward and towards  sheikh Qassim … seen the overrunning international reaction to a certain extend as well of course about this issue and do you think that they’re rethinking what they’ve decided upon already?

Cavell: They are concerned here because one of the rights the United States proclaims the most, although it seldom enforces, is rights of religion and the Al Khalifa regime continues to violate the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, particularly articles 4, 18 and 26, all of which protect freedom of religion, religious expression, the autonomy of one’s consciousness and prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion and yet what they’re clearly doing in Bahrain is discriminating the majority Shia population on the basis of the religious profession and that is not only against the international law, it is against one of their hegemonic sponsors that the United States claims to be a red line when they come to their clients.

So, they have to play a careful line here, but I would urge the protesters to continue to confront the regime. The regime has no intention of negotiating, no intention of giving any concessions, and they have recently signed on with the College of Police in Britain to wipe out the opposition, so you have no choice but to confront this illegal regime, because they have no legitimacy and they are going to come after the opposition with both guns blazing.


Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Press TV News Roku