Bahrain Al Wefaq SG to Public Prosecution Office: your measures are illegal

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Sheikh Ali Salman, Secretary-General of Al Wefaq National Islamic Society, was interrogated by the Office of the Public Prosecution, on the topic of his Society’s organisation of the “Revolution Museum”. The museum exhibited violations documented by the report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) that was handed to the king on November 23rd 2011 and chaired by international law expert Cherif Bassiouni.The interrogation began at 9 am on Sunday and extended to 6 hours. The Authority accused Al Wefaq’s Secretary-General of insulting a governmental body. In response he said that the museum was an artistic exhibition based on the BICI report. He said Al Wefaq has held this museum within the framework of freedom of opinion and expression and as part of its political activism in demanding democratic transition in Bahrain.In the interrogation, Salman presented copies of the opposition’s statements and visions that were related to the questions he was asked. He also presented the BICI report and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Manama Document, Non-violence Principles Declaration and the Statute of Al Wefaq National Islamic Society. In addition to a France-24 television program on security forces’ attempts to run protesters over in Bahrain, as the museum showcased the security forces’ killing of the martyr Ali Baddah, by running over.However, Al Wefaq’s Secretary-General talked in his interrogation about the core reasons behind the political problem in Bahrain. He talked about discrimination, marginalizing the people’s will, excluding the people from decision-making, financial and administrative corruption, absence of democracy and political rights of individual citizens.He also discussed the issue of corruption in distributing national wealth, referring to 65km2 of Bahraini public land that was turned into private property. He affirmed that a wide segment of citizens are denied the ability to serve in the military and security bodies like the army, National Guard and public security.Salman also mentioned during his interrogation that the unfair electoral constituencies in Bahrain are one of the main reasons for political instability and flagrant discrimination between citizens.Al Wefaq’s Secretary-General added that the official parties measures contradict freedom of opinion and expression and that raiding Al Wefaq’s offices, in the capital Manama, violates the Society’s right to exercise its political role. He also noted that preventing the Society’s lawyer and representative from reaching the place during the raid and confiscating computers and other items, that have nothing to do with the museum, all violate the law.Finally, he outlined that if Al Wefaq’s museum is an insult to a governmental body, then this means that the BICI report and the UPR recommendations issued by the UN Human Rights Council, alongside the reports issued by international rights organizations and allies of Bahrain are all considered an insult to a governmental body. This is an unacceptable explanation for any fair observer, Salman said, adding that transition from absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy is a necessity for Bahrain./129