DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A court in Bahrain ordered the country’s main Shiite opposition group to be dissolved on Sunday, deepening a crackdown on dissent in the strategically important Western-allied kingdom.
The order against al-Wefaq marks one of the sharpest blows yet against civil society activists in the Sunni-ruled island nation, which was rocked by widespread protests led by its Shiite majority demanding political reforms five years ago.
Al-Wefaq is one of Bahrain’s so-called “political societies,” which are allowed under laws that technically forbid political parties. Its candidates claimed the largest share of seats in parliamentary elections in 2006 and 2010, though it fell short of securing a majority in either.
Read full article here