BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

30th October 2014

Bahrain wields
judiciary against civil
society
Day after day, the Bahraini
regime continues to
consolidate its political
monopoly as it condently
applies the concept of
state security, suppresses
demonstrations and
nationalizes people for
political and sectarian
purposes. This regime is
also withdrawing Bahraini
citizenship from its
opponents and sending
them into exile. It is muting
the voices of people
demanding change.
Thus, it seems that the
Bahraini regimes lack of
vision is leading it to
expand its direct targeting
of political associations
based on the logic of
political and security
outbidding, as it uses state
institutions, including the
judiciary, to disrupt political
action and conscate
peoples fundamental rights,
contrary to the international
charters, particularly the
Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and the
International Covenants on
Civil, Political, Cultural and
Economic rights.
Read More
Shielded by U.S.
Alliance, Bahrain
Suspends Shiite
Opposition
On Tuesday, a court in
Bahrain suspended the
activities of the countrys
main Shiite opposition
group, al-Wefaq, ahead of
next months parliamentary
elections. The group, known
in Bahrain as a political
society, cannot organize
rallies, issue statements or
use its ofces for three
months. Al-Wefaq had
already announced earlier
this month that it would
boycott the Nov. 22 poll, so
the immediate impact on
the election may be limited.
The Ministry of Justice led
a lawsuit against al-Wefaq
seeking its suspension back
in July, after the
government expelled Tom
Malinowski, the U.S.
assistant secretary of state
for democracy, human
rights and labor, for meeting
with its leader and deputy
without a government
minder.
But in addition to further
eroding political space in
Bahrain, with a national
reconciliation effort
effectively frozen since last
year, the suspension
signals something else.
Bahrain is part of the U.S.-
led coalition against the so-
called Islamic State (IS,
also known as ISIS), and
the suspension is another
move by one of Americas
Gulf allies to drop any
pretense of domestic
reform.
Read More
Bahrain Court Orders
Deportation Of 10
People Stripped Of
Nationality
A court in Bahrain on
Wednesday decided to
deport 10 people who have
been stripped of their
Bahraini nationality.
The 10 are among 31
people whose nationality
was arbitrarily revoked in
November 2012. In addition
to their deportation, the
court also ordered they pay
100 Bahraini dinars ($250).
The men, who have been
considered foreigners in the
country since their
nationality was revoked,
were told they could be
deported within days. They
have not been given any
details of where they will be
sent.
Read More