2nd October 2013

BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

Bahrain's pursuit of suspected militants widens rifts with opposition
When U.S. President Barack Obama mentioned Bahrain as one of the Middle East's ashpoints of sectarian conict, the Shiite-led opposition in the Gulf nation cheered and the kingdom's Western-backed Sunni rulers went on the defensive. Bahrain's leadership said last week that the Arab Spring's smallest showdown had threatened to divide the island but insisted that the rifts were healing after nearly 32 months of clashes and simmering unrest. The past days in Bahrain, however, suggest a different trajectory. A series of prison sentences including a mass trial of 50 suspected backers of a militant cell and the largest protest march in months all signal little progress toward reconciliation. Read More

Bahrain jails four Shiites over bomb attack

A Bahraini court jailed on Wednesday four Shiites 15 years each after convicting them of detonating a bomb that wounded an Asian worker in Manama, a judicial source said.

The ruling is the third tough sentence since Sunday and brings to 91 the number of Shiites jailed in four days over violence, amid criticism from rights watchdog Amnesty International. Two of the defendants were in the dock, while the other two remain at large, said the source. Read More at national talks have decided to suspend their participation for one week, said Jamil Kazem, spokesman for the antigovernment groups that are part of the Wefaq bloc, comprised of members of the Shia Muslim community. The talks were called for early this year by the Al Khalifa family monarchy, so far without results, while demonstrators continue to demand democratic reforms and the end of discrimination against the Shia community. Read More

Bahrain Jails 37 Shiites For Up To 15 Years

A Bahraini court in Manama jailed 37 Shiites for up to 15 years for carrying out terrorist crimes in the kingdom. Four people received a 15 year sentence. A further six

were jailed for 10 years. Twenty seven other defendants received ve year terms according to AFP. The defendants were accused of detonating two roadside bombs in the village of Diraz. Four policemen were wounded in the incident. Read More

Bahrain Opposition Suspends Talks with Gov''t Due to Repression

Bahrain opposition parties today announced a weeklong boycott of talks with the monarchy, to protest the sentences issued early this week against a hundred people, accused of terrorism. Due to the lack of positive reforms and the brutal repression against opposition groups, opposition representatives