Bahrain’s most senior opposition leader and his top aide have been charged with violating the country’s law on foreign contacts after meeting with a US diplomat earlier this week.
Shia Al-Wefaq party leader Sheikh Ali Salman and his assistant, Khalil al-Marzouq, have been accused of "contacting a representative of a foreign government in violation of the political associations law and related ministerial decisions.”
Before being summoned to the public prosecutor's office and
charged, Salman and Marzouq were interrogated at the Criminal
Investigations Department on Wednesday.
The opposition leader and his assistant were freed after
guaranteeing their places of residence, Reuters reported.
Al-Wefaq is the main opposition party in the Sunni-ruled kingdom,
where the Shia majority has been protesting and calling for
greater democratic reforms since the wave of Arab Spring
uprisings swept the Middle East and North Africa back in 2011.
Salman told the news agency that the questioning lasted for 30
minutes in the absence of his lawyer. He said he was asked
"about the content of the [embassy] meeting and what was
discussed at it."
According to Bahraini law, contacts "between political
associations and foreign parties should be coordinated with the
foreign ministry and in the presence of its representative,"
the prosecution said, according to AFP.
The public prosecutor was referring to the leader's meeting with
Tom Malinowski, the US assistant secretary of state for
democracy, human rights, and labor. Salman and Marzouq reportedly
met Malinowski at the US embassy without informing Bahrain’s
Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Malinowski also attended a Ramadan event the day before the
meeting, where he met Salman and Marzouq.
Malinowski arrived to Bahrain for a three-day visit on Sunday,
but was expelled from the country earlier this week after being
accused of intervening “flagrantly" in the state’s internal
affairs. He left the country on Tuesday night, after being
declared persona non grata by the Foreign Ministry.
Seems #Bahrain government decision not about me but about undermining dialogue. Those committed to reconciliation should not be deterred.
— Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) July 8, 2014
Washington said on Monday that it was “deeply concerned by
the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s decision,” adding
that the move was not “consistent with the strong partnership”
between the two countries.
A senior envoy from Bahrain was summoned in Washington on Tuesday
to protest Malinowski’s expulsion.
"We look to the Government of Bahrain to take actions
consistent with our strong bilateral relationship. We also look
to all sides to recommit themselves to the reconciliation
process, which remains the focus of our diplomatic
engagement," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in
a Thursday statement.