SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) - Guardian UK newspapers writer Ian Black wrote an article about The Gulf state, where a Sunni dynasty rules over a restive Shia majority, is seen as a key ally by western governments. Here the article
Bahrain's government is often accused of human rights abuses but responds by invoking legitimate security concerns about maintaining law and order.
The Gulf island state is a special case in the context of the uprisings of the Arab spring. King Hamad Al Khalifa is seen by western governments as a valued ally who plays host to the US Fifth Fleet and is close to Saudi Arabia, the regional powerhouse and the Middle East's biggest oil exporter. But his Sunni dynasty rules over a restive Shia majority which has experienced sharp polarisation since the Pearl revolution of last year, in which at least 50 people were killed. The government in Manama often blames Iran for fomenting unrest, though there is no evidence of direct involvement. The opposition, dominated by the al-Wefaq movement, says it wants democratic rights and is not pursuing a sectarian Shia agenda, though its supporters are under-represented and face discrimination in all walks of life.
The authorities in Manama have mounted an energetic PR offensive to clean up their battered image since last year, when Saudi-led forces intervened to help restore order. King Hamad set up the Bahrain independent commission of inquiry to examine the handling of the unrest. But recommendations for constitutional and institutional reforms to ensure a fairer division of power have not been implemented. Hardliners on both sides increasingly set the tone.
Last year martial law was imposed and thousands of people arrested, many facing military trials. Last week convictions against nine doctors accused of playing leading roles in the protests were quashed and sentences against nine others downgraded by an appeal court. But tensions continue between Shia citizens and the government, with clashes occurring regularly. Activists talk of a state of "apartheid", with Shias sacked from their jobs and replaced by Sunnis.
Controversy erupted again in April with calls to cancel the F1 Grand Prixin response to human rights violations and a lack of substantive reform. Protesters in Bahrain also complain about the advisory security roles of John Yates, a former Scotland Yard assistant commissioner, and John Timoney, an ex-US police chief.
Source : Guardian
www.shafaqna.com/english/
