RNA – In a conversation with the media, Ali al-Fayez, a Bahraini political activist, spoke in regards to the allegations against Hujjat al-Islam Ali Salman, the secretary-general of Bahrain’s leading Shi’ah political party, the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, by Bahrain’s Al Khalifah regime, and said, “The Bahraini regime is trying to fabricate a new accusation against this cleric so that he cannot be released from prison.”
Referring to Hujjat al-Islam Salman’s high social and political status in Bahrain and abroad, he described his release from prison as a factor in the fears of the regime and the king of Bahrain, Hamad ibn Isa, regarding the exposure of the crimes of the regime and interference in internal, regional and international events.
al-Fayez stressed that the aim of the attacks against the Secretary-General of al-Wefaq is to harm the regime’s political prisoners and added, “Ali al-Aradi, who always speaks against Hujjat al-Islam Salman, is the First Deputy Speaker of the Council of Representatives, which lacks national legitimacy in Bahrain, has no right to speak against Hujjat al-Islam Salman who achieved more than 64% of the vote in the last parliamentary election.”
He spoke of a 2011 telephone conversation between Hujjat al-Islam Salman and Shaykh Hamad ibn Jasim Al Thani, the former Prime Minister of Qatar, which was broadcast on state-run Bahrain Television on Wednesday in which Al Thani spoke of the need to move away from violence and the importance of dialogue and the Qatari peace plan, which has been come to the attention of Bahrain’s King Hamad and the American government, who are considered the strategic allies of Bahrain.
The news report claimed that Al Thani urged Hujjat al-Islam Salman to urge protesters to flood the streets and ramp up pressure on Bahrain’s government.
al-Fayez continued, “What is happening now is an attempt to abuse and exploit Shaykh Salman’s cooperation. This Bahraini cleric is a national figure and nobody can distort his image with such allegations.”
Noting the kindness and solidarity of the Bahraini people with the people of Qatar and their commitment to defend the people of Qatar and their dignity, rights and existence, the political activist emphasized that the actions of the Al Khalifah regime are contrary to the will and values of the Bahraini people.
al-Fayez also commended the Qatari media for exposing the actions of the Al Khalifah regime against the peaceful people of Bahrain, saying, “Bahrainis only seek their right to political participation but are faced with the suppression, violence and torture by the forces of the Al Khalifah regime in order to stop these demands.”
Qatar is currently facing a diplomatic crisis which began when several countries abruptly cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar in June 2017. These countries included Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt. They accuse the Persian Gulf emirate of supporting extremism and for being too close to Iran.
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