Bahraini Court Upholds Verdict Dissolving Wa’ad Party
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Bahrain's Court of Appeal upheld on Thursday a verdict dissolving the country’s largest leftist political party, the National Democratic Action Society (Wa’ad), as part of a heavy-handed crackdown led by the ruling Al Khalifah regime on political dissent.
Bahrain's Ministry of Justice had filed a lawsuit in March, demanding the dissolution of Wa'ad Society for what it described as "serious violations aimed at targeting the principle of respect for the rule of law, support for terrorism, and coverage of violence”.
It also claimed that the political group glorified “persons convicted in terrorism cases, use of weapons, murder, which left a number of security personnel killed and others injured,” Bahrain Mirror reported.
On May 31, 2017, the High Administrative Court ruled the dissolution of the opposition group.
Last year, Bahraini authorities dissolved the country’s main Shiite opposition group, Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, as well as Islamic Enlightenment Society (Tawiya) and al-Risala Society.
Sheikh Isa Qassim, Wefaq’s spiritual leader, was stripped of his nationality last June over accusations that he had used his position to serve foreign interests and promote sectarianism and violence. Despite denying the charges, the cleric was handed a suspended one-year prison term and ordered to pay a fine earlier this month.
