BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

27th May 2014

Bahrain major
opposition vows to
boycott upcoming
polls
Bahrain's largest opposition
group announced on
Tuesday that it would
boycott the upcoming
parliamentary and
municipal elections.
Al Wefaq National Islamic
Society's Secretary-
General Shaikh Ali Salman
made the announcement,
saying that "There will be
no participation in any
coming elections until there
is a radical reform that
makes the people the
source of all powers."
He also called for the
release of alleged political
prisoners and opposition
leaders before elections
that are expected to be held
by the end of October.
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Bahraini Activist
Nabeel Rajab
Released After 2
Years; Funeral Held
for Teen
In Bahrain, a leading
human rights activist has
been released after nearly
two years in prison for his
role in pro-democracy
protests. Speaking after his
release, Nabeel Rajab,
head of the Bahrain Centre
for Human Rights, vowed to
continue the struggle for
democracy under the U.S.-
backed monarchy.
Nabeel Rajab: "With great
regret, I was imprisoned for
giving speeches, my
participation in defending
the human rights in
Bahrain, but really these
two years have changed
me to be much stronger.
The prison for me was like
a school, and I will continue
to ght for the people and
human rights and with the
political societies until we
achieve our goals that we
started on February 14."
Read More
Bahraini activists
speak out about
'systematic
persecution' by
British government
Human rights groups have
claimed Bahraini pro-
democracy activists in
London are being
"systematically persecuted"
by the British government,
with specic accusations
made against Whitehall
departments, the
Metropolitan Police and a
high prole member of the
House of Lords.
The accusations come as
King Hamad of Bahrain,
whose family have ruled the
tiny Gulf state for over two
hundred years, visits the
UK. His presence has been
protested by human rights
groups and Bahrain
activists.
The claims have also been
backed up by senior
ofcials from Human Rights
Watch as well as several
Middle East NGOs.
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Bahrain rejects US
State Department
report on violence
In a wide-ranging report
published last week,
Bahrains Interior Ministry
criticized a US State
Department report about
the general situation in the
country as lacking
neutrality and objectivity,
refuting a total of 42 US
claims in detail. Bahrain
witnessed a series of public
protests and
demonstrations in 2011.
The US claims were issued
in the US State
Departments 2013 Country
Report on Human Rights,
with Manama contesting a
number of both general and
specic claims by
Washington regarding the
situation in the country,
particularly regarding
alleged incidents of
violence or unrest between
2011 and 2013.
Read More