BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

10th July 2014

Bahrain opposition
chiefs charged over
US meeting
Bahrain's chief prosecutor
Thursday charged the head
of the largest Shiite
opposition and his number
two with violating a law on
foreign contacts after they
met a senior US diplomat.
The prosecution said it
questioned cleric Ali
Salman, the head of Al-
Wefaq association, and his
political assistant, ex-MP
Khalil Marzooq, on their
meeting with the US
Assistant Secretary of State
Tom Malinowski.
"The public prosecution has
charged them with
contacting a representative
of a foreign government in
violation of the law on
political associations," the
prosecution said.
Read More
Bahrain charges
opposition leader
over meeting with
U.S. diplomat
Bahrain has charged the
country's most senior
opposition leader and one
of his aides with holding an
illegal meeting with a U.S.
diplomat, the public
prosecutor's ofce said on
Thursday.
It said al-Wefaq party
leader Sheikh Ali Salman
and his political assistant,
Khalil al-Marzouq, should
have obtained permission
before meeting Tom
Malinowski, U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State for
Democracy, Human Rights
and Labor.
Bahrain expelled
Malinowski earlier this
week, saying he had
"intervened agrantly" in
the country's internal affairs
by holding the meeting. The
United States has said it is
"deeply concerned" about
his treatment and is
considering a response.
Read More
Bahrain charges
opposition leader
who met with U.S.
diplomat
Bahrain's conict with the
United States worsened
Thursday, as the Persian
Gulf emirate led criminal
charges against the
country's leading opposition
gure for holding a meeting
this week with a senior U.S.
diplomat.
Ofcials accused Sheik Ali
Salman, head of Wefaq, the
country's largest opposition
group, of violating a
"political associations law"
by meeting without
government permission with
Tom Malinowski, the U.S.
assistant secretary of State
for democracy, human
rights and labor.
Malinowski was expelled
from the country this week
for the meeting, which
Bahrain saw as meddling in
its internal affairs.
Read More
Bahrain charges Shia
opposition leader
over meeting with US
diplomat
Bahrains most senior
opposition leader and his
top aide have been charged
with violating the countrys
law on foreign contacts
after meeting with a US
diplomat earlier this week.
Shia Al-Wefaq party leader
Sheikh Ali Salman and his
assistant, Khalil al-
Marzouq, have been
accused of "contacting a
representative of a foreign
government in violation of
the political associations
law and related ministerial
decisions.
Before being summoned to
the public prosecutor's
ofce and charged, Salman
and Marzouq were
interrogated at the Criminal
Investigations Department
on Wednesday.
Read More
Bahrain questions
opposition leader
after expelling U.S.
diplomat
Bahrain interrogated its top
opposition leader on
Wednesday after expelling
a senior U.S. diplomat for
meeting him, a remarkable
slap at Washington from an
ally that hosts the U.S.
Navy's Middle East eet.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of
State for Democracy,
Human Rights and Labor
Tom Malinowski leftBahrain
late on Tuesday, the U.S.
Embassy said, after the
foreign ministry ordered him
out because he had
"intervened agrantly" in the
country's internal affairs by
"holding meetings with one
party".
Bahrain's opposition al-
Wefaq group said late on
Wednesday that its leader
Sheikh Ali Salman had
been summoned to meet
the public prosecutor on
Thursday.
Read More
Bahrain opposition
leaders summoned
over meeting with US
official
Ali Salman and Khalil
Marzooq violated ministry's
decision regarding the
interaction of political
societies with foreign
political groups and
organisations.
Bahrain on Wednesday
summoned the General
Secretary of Al Wefaq
National Islamic Society, Ali
Salman, and Al Wefaq
member Khalil Marzooq for
violating a Ministry of
Justice, Islamic Affairs and
Endowments decision
regarding the interaction of
political societies with
foreign political groups and
organisations.
Read More
Bahrain Opposition
Leaders Face Second
Round of Questions
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.
Read More
Bahrain arrests
opposition leadership
over U.S. diplomat
meeting
Bahrain's main opposition
leader was arrested for
meeting with Washington's
top diplomat to the country
who was expelled earlier
this week, according to
Agence France Presse.
Manama's chief prosecutor
charged Ali Salman, the
head of the opposition Al
Wefaq association and his
political assistant, ex-MP
Khalil Marzooq with
violating a law related to
foreign contacts after the
two met with U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State Tom
Malinowski.
"The public prosecution has
charged them with
contacting a representative
of a foreign government in
violation of the law on
political associations," the
prosecution said, according
to the AFP report.
Read More
Bahrain to
"interrogate"
opposition members
after ordering U.S.
envoy to leave the
country
Bahrain's interior ministry
summoned Opposition
Leader Sheikh Ali Salman,
secretary-general of al
Wefaq and his political
assistant Khalil al-Marzooq
on Tuesday, and ordered
the visiting U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State for
Democracy, Human Rights
and Labour, Tomasz
Malinowski to leave the
country on Monday
following meetings they had
together.
Bahraini authorities
summoned the members
from Bahrain's main Shiite
Muslim opposition group for
"interrogation" on
Tueday, according to
Reuters.
Read More
Bahrains Bad
Decision
Bahrain would seem an
unlikely country to expel a
senior American diplomat
on a trumped-up complaint,
since the Persian Gulf state
is home to the United
States Navys Fifth Fleet
and depends on America
for its defense, especially
against Iran. 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. Then on Thursday, it
compounded the error by
charging the leader of
Bahrains biggest opposition
group with holding an illegal
meeting with Mr.
Malinowski.
Read More
Bahrains Bad
Decision
Bahrain would seem an
unlikely country to expel a
senior American diplomat
on a trumped-up complaint,
since the Persian Gulf state
is home to the United
States Navys Fifth Fleet
and depends on America
for its defense, especially
against Iran. 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. Then on Thursday, it
compounded the error by
charging the leader of
Bahrains biggest opposition
group with holding an illegal
meeting with Mr.
Malinowski.
Read More
Washington's
Bahrain Problem
Gets Worse
This week the Bahrain
ruling family has revealed
itself as an increasingly
embarrassing, erratic ally
for the United States.
Monday's decision to kick
out State Department
Assistant Secretary Tom
Malinowski was shocking if
not entirely surprising.
Malinowski's sin was,
apparently, to talk to
Bahrain's main opposition
party Al Wifaq without
including a member of the
local government in the
discussion.
Malinowski was doing the
right thing in exploring
relationships with the
opposition and was due to
meet leading members of
civil society too. That is
what seems to have
spooked the regime and led
to his being designated as
"unwelcome."
Read More
US should respond to
Bahrain
What should we do when a
tiny island nation ousts a
Senate-appointed U.S.
ofcial for doing his job?
On Monday, Bahrain
expelled Tom Malinowski,
assistant secretary of State
for democracy, human
rights and labor, for meeting
with the heads of a leading
political party during a
break-the-fast dinner for
Ramadan.
It was meant to be an
affront. Nor was it the rst:
Bahrain also signed an
investment deal with Russia
the same week the U.S.
slapped sanctions on the
country for its stealth
invasion of the Ukraine.
Read More
HRH Crown Prince:
Bahraini values
reinforce unity,
tolerance and
coexistence
His Royal Highness Prince
Salman bin Hamad Al-
Khalifa, Crown Prince,
Deputy Supreme
Commander and First
Deputy Prime Minister, this
evening visited the Majlis of
Al-Shaikh Mustafa bin
Abdullatif in Ras-Rumman
and the Majlis of the Al-Jishi
and Al-Khozaei families in
Umm Al Hassam.
During his visits, HRH
Crown Prince highlighted
Bahraini values that help to
ensure unity among society,
and promote coexistence
and tolerance.
HRH Crown Prince added
that the commitment to the
Kingdoms values is
particularly important at this
point in time in order to
prevent external inuences
from affecting the close
bonds of Bahrains society.
Read More
US issues complaint
against government
of Bahrain
The spat between the U.S.
and Bahrain escalated
Wednesday with the U.S.
conrming that it has
lodged a formal complaint
with the Gulf state over its
treatment of a U.S.
diplomat.
I can also conrm for all of
you that we registered a
formal complaint with the
embassy of the Kingdom of
Bahrain in D.C. in the last
24 hours, Jen Psaki,
the State
Department spokeswoman
told reporters.
Tensions between the two
countries rose following
Bahrains demand that U.S.
Assistant Secretary of State
for Democracy, Human
Rights and Labor Tom
Malinowski depart the
country after he met with
members of the leading
Shia political party, al
Wefaq.
Read More
Bahrain orders
expulsion of US
diplomat, triggering
diplomatic row
Bahrain, the island country
in the Persian Gulf,
Tuesday kicked off a
diplomatic row with the
United States by ordering
the expulsion of a visiting
senior American diplomat
for allegedly meddling in the
country's internal affairs.
Tom Malinowski, US
Assistant Secretary of State
for Democracy, Human
Rights and Labor, stirred
controversy after meeting
with a leading Shia
opposition group.
He was ordered to leave
after meeting with Bahrain's
Shiite opposition group, Al-
Wefaq. Two leaders of the
Al-Wefaq opposition party,
Sheikh Ali Salman and
Khalil al-Marzouq, were
summoned to meet the
public prosecutor for
interrogation Tuesday about
what they discussed with
Malinowski.
Read More
US meddling in Gulf
issues flayed by GCC
The US Assistant Secretary
of State for Democracy,
Human Rights and Labor
has been slammed by GCC
Secretary-General
Abdullatif Al-Zayani, for his
interference in Bahrain's
internal affairs.
Al-Zayani voiced his
"dismay" over the attitude of
Tom Malinowski, who met
with only one segment of
political society during his
ofcial tour of duty to
Bahrain this week.
"This kind of interference in
the GCC's domestic affairs
is a violation of diplomatic
norms and the principles of
good neighborliness," said
Al-Zayani in a statement.
Read More
Bashing the wrong
people
Other Gulf monarchs are
also getting twitchy about
dissenters. On July 7th
Bahrain, which with Saudi
help suppressed protests
by the Shia majority against
the ruling Sunni family in
2011, expelled an American
diplomat. Tom Malinowskis
misdemeanour was a
meeting with the main (and
licensed) opposition party,
al-Wefaq. On July 8th
Reporters Without Borders,
a group promoting freedom
of expression, said a
Bahraini satirical blogger
had been detained on
suspicion of inciting hatred
against the regime.
Read More