| Submit your comments on this article | ||
| Arabia | ||
| Bahrain cleric's arrest impulsive, imprudent: Iran official | ||
| 2015-01-02 | ||
A senior Iranian official has hit out at the Manama regime for apprehending Bahraini opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman, describing his arrest as an “impulsive” and “imprudent” move, PressTV reported.
Bahraini forces on Sunday detained Salman who leads the country’s main opposition bloc, the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society. The Iranian official said the wrong policy of crackdown and violence adopted by the Bahraini regime will prompt the country’s opposition to distance themselves from democratic methods, which, as the diplomat stressed, will “not be in the interest of Bahrain and the region.” The Iranian official said Salman’s arrest will have repercussions for the Manama regime. “Bahrain will not be able to put up with the consequences of this move (the arrest of Salman),” Amir-Abdollahian said. He said Salman’s arrest could affect tranquility in the region. “The arrest of the secretary general of Bahrain’s democratic al-Wefaq [National Islamic] Society at the current sensitive situation in the region runs counter to security and tranquility” in the Middle East. He warned that Iran will not allow regional security to be jeopardized. “At a time when terrorism and extremism constitute a collective threat of our time, Tehran will never allow extremists to compromise collective security in our region.” Bahrain’s arrest of Sheikh Salman came as the 49-year-old respected cleric secured a new four-year term in al-Wefaq's general congress last Friday.
[IsraelTimes] Anti-riot police and protesters demanding the release of Bahrain’s main Shiite opposition leader clashed Thursday for the fifth day in a row, witnesses said. Predominantly Shiite Iran, across the Gulf from Washington’s ally where the US Fifth Fleet is based, has joined calls for the immediate release of the kingdom’s main opposition leader, Sheikh Ali Salman. The United States has expressed deep concern about Salman’s detention, warning that it could only inflame the persistent violence that has gripped the kingdom since 2011. The witnesses said Thursday’s clashes erupted in central Manama after prayers at the capital’s Mumen mosque, whereas previous unrest has centered on Shiite villages in the suburbs. Police used tear gas and batons against the protesters, and some injuries and arrests were reported. “Dozens of people… including women and children, were arrested,” said a statement from the Bahrain Observatory for Human Rights. Meanwhile, the interior ministry announced that it had banned an opposition demonstration called for Friday in a Shiite suburb of the capital. | ||
| Posted by:Steve White |