Bahrain Opposition No. 2 Held for 30 Days

Local Editor

The deputy leader of Bahrain's largest opposition party will be held for 30 days while being investigated for inciting "terrorism" in a series of speeches, the public prosecutor of the Gulf Arab kingdom said.

The detention of Khalil al-Marzouq on Tuesday angered his al-Wefaq party, which could complicate faltering efforts to end 2-1/2 years of political deadlock on the strategically vital island.

In a statement, Bahrain's Head of Public Prosecution, Nayef Yousfi, claimed police investigations showed al-Marzouq had spoken at many forums promoting terrorism, the most recent of which was a speech at Saar district west of the capital Manama on Sept. 6.

At that event he raised the flag of the opposition group, the February 14 Coalition, Yousfi said. He described the group, a network of activists that uses social media to organize anti-government protests, as a terrorist organization.
Yousfi said al-Marzouq was interrogated in the presence of his lawyer and subsequently "charged under the Law for Protecting the Community from Terrorist Acts, with inciting and advocating terrorism, and using his leadership position in a legally organized political society to incite crimes."

There was no immediate reaction from the party to the charges against Marzouq. Earlier, reacting to reports that police had taken him to the public prosecution office, it said: "Such practices will only result in more anger and persistence to achieve democratic transition and build a state of justice and democracy."
Al-Wefaq said in a statement the measure was part of a government project to "wipe out" political action.

It further stressed that the arrest of al-Marzouq comes after calls raised by the international community on the Government of Bahrain.
47 countries have signed a resolution in the Human Rights Council in Geneva denouncing the regime in Bahrain for inhumanly handling the basic human rights, calling for fair trials that hold all human rights abusers accountable.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team