Bahrain seeks to subdue dissidents by pressuring leaders: Commentator

Sheikh Ali Salman is a Bahraini Shia opposition figure who has been handed a long jail term on charges of subversion and inciting public disobedience. His retrial, initially slated for the 6th of November, has now been postponed. Bahrain has been the target of much criticism over its handling of the case, and has been urged to release the cleric and overturn his conviction. Rights bodies, among them Amnesty International, say Manama needs to respect the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Press TV has spoken to a former Bahraini MP about Sheikh Salman's case.

Jalal Fairooz is of the idea that the Bahraini regime is seeking to break down people’s resistance by pressuring their leaders, including Sheikh Ali Salman.

“Now that the situation in the region is changing, the government has decided to take the final decision [with regard to] Sheikh Ali Salman, hoping that with that, it can put pressure on the leader and the opposition and [force them] to kneel down and retract from their positions," Fairooz reiterated.

He believes that the government is very afraid of the future, and is therefore seeking ways of adjusting Sheikh Salman's final sentence.

The former lawmaker further criticized the Western countries for their blind support of the Bahraini and Saudi regimes, despite their long record of human rights violations.

These puppet regimes were implanted in the region by the imperialist powers nearly one hundred years ago in a bid to execute their policies, he noted, adding that they would remain under the Western states' aegis as long as they can secure their interests.  

Fairooz pointed to Britain's attempts to elect Saudi Arabia as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, despite the fact that Saudi rulers have committed the worst violations when it comes to human rights. The same applies to Bahrain, he said, adding that the West still supports the Manama regime despite all the killings and atrocities, because Bahrain is fulfilling the Western demands.

Bahraini forces arrested Salman in December 2014 over charges of attempting to overthrow the regime and collaborating with foreign powers. The cleric has rejected all such allegations, saying he has only pursued reforms through peaceful means.

In May, a court increased Salman's prison term from four to nine years, but on October 17, Bahrain’s Court of Cassation overturned his term and ordered a retrial.

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