Stomping Out the Flames of Dissent in Bahrain
For opposition parties In the Kingdom of Bahrain, the road to political reform continues to be fraught with danger. Last week members of the human rights community were shocked to learn of the Bahraini Court of Appeals decision to extend the jailing of opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman from four to nine years. Secretary General of the Al-Wefaq party, Salman was prosecuted for publicly insulting the interior ministry and publicly inciting others to break the law in reaction to speeches given in 2012 and 2014. Salman was arrested in 2014 after his party was banned by the government one month before parliamentary and municipal elections, leading to a boycott. Since the unrest of 2011, the Government has taken a radical stance targeting members of opposition political parties through groundless incarceration, revoking of citizenship, and violent responses to peaceful calls for reform. These actions have been condemned at all levels of the international community, as governments and human rights organizations urge for pluralist acceptance. Continue reading →