BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

12th/ 13th/ 14th July 2014

Bahrain: Opposition
Under Fire
The government on
Thursday charged two
leaders of Bahrains largest
opposition group with
illegally meeting an
American ofcial, escalating
a feud with the United
States that began after the
ofcial, Tom Malinowski,
was expelled from Bahrain
this week. Mr. Malinowski,
the assistant secretary of
state for democracy, human
rights and labor, was
ordered to leave after
Bahrains government, an
ally of the United States,
accused him of interfering
in the countrys affairs by
meeting with members of
the opposition group, al-
Wefaq. Khalil al-Marzooq,
one of the leaders, said he
and Sheikh Ali Salman, the
groups secretary general,
were questioned by
prosecutors on Thursday
about their talks with Mr.
Malinowski.
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Bahrain: Drop
Charges against
Opposition Leaders
Bahrain should immediately
drop charges against two
prominent opposition
members for meeting with a
US diplomat on July 6,
2014. Bahrain should
repeal the law that bars
leaders of political societies
from meeting with foreign
diplomats without
government permission.
On July 10, Bahrains public
prosecutor brought charges
against Sheikh Ali Salman,
the leader of Bahrains
main Shiite opposition party
Al Wifaq, and Khalil al-
Marzooq, the partys deputy
leader. They were charged
with violating Bahrains law
on political associations by
meeting with the US
assistant secretary of state
for democracy, human
rights and labor, Tom
Malinowski, without
government permission. On
July 7, Bahraini authorities
declared Malinowski
persona non grata and
ordered him to leave the
country.
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Morning Views
Bahrain would seem an
unlikely country to expel a
senior American diplomat
on a trumped-up
complaint, writes The New
York Times Editorial Board.
Yet the government did just
that, forcing Tom
Malinowski, the State
Departments assistant
secretary for human rights,
to cut short an ofcial visit
on Tuesday because he
met with members of an
opposition party. The
Board claries that the
expulsion as well as a
subsequent charge against
the opposition group raise
doubts about the
willingness of the ruling al-
Khalifa family, members of
the Sunni minority, to nd a
compromise with the Shiite
majority, which is
demanding democratic
reforms and a bigger role in
governing. The Board calls
Bahrains moves
outrageous and, should
Bahrain and the United
States fail to resolve its
differences, predicts
disastrous consequences
for Bahrain, its neighbors
and the United States since
the last thing the volatile
region needs is more
sectarian divisions and
instability.
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BAHRAIN EXPELS
AN AMERICAN
DIPLOMAT
American diplomacy in the
Middle East is starting to
resemble a giant game of
whack-a-mole. On top of
everything else, the
government of Bahrain has
now expelled an American
diplomat.
Bahrain told Tom
Malinowski, U.S. assistant
secretary of state for
democracy, human rights
and labor, that he was no
longer welcome at their
game on Monday.
Marlinowski had the gall to
set up a meeting with
leaders of a Shiite political
party. Bahrain is one of the
Middle East's rare, majority-
Shia nations, so a friendly
chat with the leaders of a
legal party that has been in
dialogue with the
government since 2011
seemed natural. The ruling
family, however, is Sunni,
and they did not take kindly
to Malinowski's efforts to be
inclusive of the majority of
the population.
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Bahrain expels US
diplomat
Two leading gures of
Bahrain's opposition al-
Wefaq party faced a second
day of questioning on
Thursday, less than a week
after holding an illegal
meeting with a senior U.S.
diplomat in Manama.
Al-Wefaq Secretary General
Sheikh Ali Salman and his
assistant, Khalil al-
Marzooq, say they were
asked by authorities on
Wednesday and Thursday
to provide details of their
discussions with Tom
Malinowski, U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State for
Democracy, Human Rights
and Labor.
The U.S. diplomat's talks
with the two members of
Bahrains main Shiite
opposition party led to his
expulsion from the Gulf
kingdom on Tuesday.
Washington said it was
deeply concerned by the
move and was considering
a response.
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