AhlulBayt News Agency

source : Press TV
Friday

2 September 2011

7:30:00 PM
263355

Iran condemns martyrdom of Bahraini teen

Iran has condemned the killing of a Bahraini teenager on Eid al-Fitr and expressed concern over the continued presence of foreign militaries in the Persian Gulf Sheikdom.

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - "We express concern over these acts and the conditions in this country base on which foreign military troops have been preventing the restoration of calm to this country (Bahrain)," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast on Friday.

On Wednesday, Saudi-backed Bahraini forces shot 14-year-old Ali Jawad Ahmed al-Sheikh directly in the face and at close range during protests held after the Eid al-Fitr Prayers in the southern city of Sitra.

The city's hospital reportedly refused to admit the teenager, who died shortly afterwards of the severe injuries he had sustained.

"The martyrdom of a teenager in Bahrain on the greatest of Muslims celebrations (Eid al-Fitr) cannot be justified by any logic," Mehmanparast added.

He went on to say that if the perpetrators behind such killings had been identified and put to trial in a timely manner such bitter incidents would not have been repeated.

Mehmanparast called for a peaceful and political solution to the crisis in Bahrain, urging Manama to take trust-building measures and meet the legitimate demands of the Bahraini people.

“[Iran] remains concerned about the continued presence of foreign military forces, which further complicate the situation of the country by the day, in Bahrain.”

He urged the Bahraini government to find wise and just solutions in order to “return affairs to the right path.”

Human rights activists have warned about an increase in the number of deaths in Bahrain due to excessive use of force by Saudi-backed regime forces.

Scores of people have lost their lives Bahrain in the brutal crackdown on the country's peaceful protests since the start of the popular uprising in mid-February. Bahrainis have been calling for an end to the decades-long rule of the Al Khalifa dynasty in the Persian Gulf sheikhdom.

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