Bahrain: Al Marzooq is a hostage, his detention disturbs political solution

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Al Wefaq issued a statement marking one month on the detention of its leading member Khalil Al Marzooq held as hostage by the regime. Al Wefaq stated, “ By keeping Al Marzooq in detention, the Government is insisting on breaching the international law for human rights. The government must immediately and unconditionally release Al Marzooq as international rights organizations have considered him a prisoner of conscience and his arrest arbitrary”.The Government is defying the international community and law in ending the crisis in Bahrain through a genuine political dialogue that fulfills the aspirations of the people of Bahrain. The Government of Bahrain must end its ongoing violation that it has been practicing widely and systematically since the eruption of the pro-democracy revolution in February 2011, given that the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry had revealed the travesty of its pretexts and that it uses the law and judiciary for political persecution and retaliation to attack the opposition and repress dissent.The people of Bahrain believe that the regime is not serious in dialogue, indeed, it has been carrying out more security campaigns. Thus, the narrowing of the dialogue’s horizon is due to the Government’s eluding from genuine political solutions for the crisis and working on arresting leading members in the peaceful opposition. Al Wefaq highlights here the statement made by the U.S President in September 2011 that dialogue cannot be held while political figures of the peaceful opposition are in jail.Two years on that statement, the Government arrests Al Marzooq to attack political activism. The Government is not listening to its allies and is continuing in its repressive solutions worsening the situation by the day instead of taking on its allies advise on reform.Al Wefaq assures that it is always ready for genuine dialogue as the only way to end the political crisis. Al Wefaq, along with the opposition powers, has always assured -through its statements and senior members, and especially Al Marzooq,- that it condemns violence and adheres to the nonviolent attitude. Moreover, the opposition powers have proposed a number of initiatives to lever the dialogue, this included calling for the release of all prisoners of conscience. However, this all was faced by measures of the contrary, on top of which was the arbitrary arrest of Al Marzooq and putting him on trial.Al Wefaq calls on the international community, and mainly Bahrain’s allies, to make efforts that are suitable with the Government’s overlooking of their advise, as a moral responsibility in line with the international democratic principles they adopt. Al Marzooq’s continued detention indicates a serious escalation by the Government to take Bahrain to a worse situation by rejecting political solution./129