Iran Concerned about Situation of Bahrain’s Detained Opposition Leader

Rasa – The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday voiced concern about the situation of Bahrain’s main opposition leader Shaykh Ali Salman who was detained by the Al Khalifah forces on Sunday.

News ID: 1938

Date: 31 December 2014 - 16:21

Speaking to reporters in a weekly press conference on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham expressed deep concern about the conditions of Shaykh Ali Salman, and said, “The Bahraini government’s security approach to the settlement of internal issues is wrong and the government should give up this approach to avoid further complicating the situation, and show respect legal and judicial frameworks.”

Stressing that al-Wefaq National Islamic Society with the leadership of Salman is a legal society, she expressed the hope that the Bahraini government would adopt a realistic approach and move to meet people’s demands.

Afkham was also asked by reporters about the British plan to deploy troops in a naval base in Bahrain, and said Iran has always stressed the necessity for the establishment of security in the region through cooperation among the regional states and anything outside this frame could leave negative impacts.

Shaykh Salman, who was arrested on Sunday, was remanded in custody on Tuesday for a week pending further questioning.

Yesterday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) called on Bahrain to release Shaykh Salman.

OHCHR Spokesperson Liz Throssell called for the immediate release of Shaykh Salman “as well as all other persons convicted or detained for merely exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly”.

Shaykh Salman is charged with “promoting regime change by force, threats, and illegal means and of insulting the Interior Ministry publicly”, said Bahraini Prosecutor Nayef Mahmoud.

The European Union also warned on Monday that the arrest of the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society’s leader by the Bahraini regime “carries the risk of jeopardizing an already difficult political and security situation.”

Both the UN and the EU have urged that the only way out of Bahrain’s current crisis is dialogue and national reconciliation.

The Lebanese resistance movement, Hezbollah, has also denounced the Bahraini regime’s prolonged detention of the Shaykh Salman, while warning of repercussions following the opposition leader’s arrest.

Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General Shaykh Na’im Qasem said the Al Khalifah regime is committing a mistake.

Bahrain has been witnessing almost daily protests against the Al Khalifah dynasty since early 2011, when an uprising began in the kingdom. Since then, thousands of protesters have held numerous rallies in the streets of Bahrain, calling on the Al Khalifah royal family to relinquish power.

R111/112/C