(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - We have interviewed Saeed Shahabi, Bahrain Freedom movement in London about the message today’s popular march supported by the significant majority of the population sends the dictatorial regime and its Western and Saudi backers as well as the international community. What follows is an approximate transcript of the interview. Q: We’re hearing of yet another massive march on Friday, today as the crackdown continues. The question is - How effective can these kinds of marches be -Can they actually enforce pressure on the rulers? Shahabi: Undoubtedly, these marches send clear messages not only to the regime, but to the world that you must take us seriously. We are out here to stay; this is our country; we are against the way the country has been ruled over the past decades; the time has come now for a real serious change. And the change starts with the removal of this cancerous regime. It has to go because simply, it does not conform to international standards of good governance. So it has to go and a new constitution must be drafted so the future of the country is secured in accordance with international law and conventions. Q: When you say the demand is for the removal of the regime, does this mean then there cannot be any dialog on reforms between parts of the opposition at least and the rulers? Shahabi: The past experience tells us this regime is beyond reform. You cannot accept reform it does not adapt to reform; it does not believe in reform. What it has said to the people and to the opposition in terms of dialog, it is only a matter of gaining time and wasting time. It will take the people from one corner to another in order just to spend their time. And also, there are international pressures because of the Formula One event and the Bassiouni (The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry) recommendations. Even now they talk about reform, but they have failed to implement any of the Bassiouni recommendations. The son of the dictator who is one of the torturers remains with impunity and he or anyone else has not been charged or questioned about their role in crimes. So, the talk of reform is just a deflection from the real issue because this regime does not believe it has never believed in reform; they don’t believe now and will never believe in reform in the future because reform means that they have to be like anyone else equal in the eyes of the law and that simply is not acceptable to them. Q: Looking at the role of the international community in the case of Bahrain of course we see what’s happening in Syria; what’s happening in Libya - A lot of observers may be asking why hasn’t the international community not acted decisively in the case of Bahrain when we have all these allegations of torture as you mentioned; the arrests of detainees; the arrests of women and all the other human rights violations that we’ve been hearing for over a year now? Shahabi: We would have been probably content and happy if they had kept quiet, but they took the other side; they took the side of the aggressor; they stood with the dictatorship; they supported the Al Khalifa. They sent their own officers, their American and British officers to repress our people and they accepted, agreed and condoned the occupation of Bahrain by the Saudi forces. So, the international community’s stand so far has been shameful to say the least. If we don’t say that it is complicit and party to the aggression that has been waged. And I hope that today’s march will prove to the world that you are betting on the wrong horse, a losing horse and that the people will be the power and the force of the future.
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