Manama Aims to Silence Opposition Voice by Revoking Citizenship: Al-Wefaq
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Bahrain’s main opposition party, al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, announced that the recent move by the Al Khalifa regime to revoke the citizenship of dozens of Bahrainis was aimed at silencing the opposition groups.
In a statement on Sunday, al-Wefaq said the revocation of the citizenship of 72 Bahrainis, 50 of whom are dissidents, are in line with the Bahraini government’s moves to crack down on the peaceful protests in the Persian Gulf country.
The statement added that the Al Khalifa regime does not adhere to the international law and uses the option to revoke the nationality of political activists as a tool to exert pressure on them and silence the voices of dissent.
The Bahrain Human Rights Society also described the move as “disastrous”, and called on the regime to remove the option from the list of its “political adventurism”.
Earlier in November 2014, the Bahrain regime had threatened to take away Bahraini nationality from those who refuse to vote in the parliamentary elections on November 22, which were boycotted by opposition groups.
The Al Khalifa regime is pressing ahead with its crackdown on opposition, after it arrested Sheikh Salman, the secretary general of al-Wefaq, on December 27.
