Manama: Bahrain’s interior minister said that the ban imposed this week on gatherings and rallies was temporary.
“It is an opportunity for everyone to take a step back, calm down and gain some perspective,” Shaikh Rashid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said. “All Bahrainis believe that reforms are the foundation of our path forward.
Our sights are set on very clear goals as outlined in the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) Report and the Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review (UPR) session in Geneva. HM the King is committed to them and will stand firm on his policies,” the minister said in a statement.
Bahrain said that it was imposing the ban until security and stability were restored.
“The goal of the temporary ban is to protect national unity and fight extremism and freedom of expression is constitutionally guaranteed for all,” Shaikh Rashid said. “The violence regularly seen in Bahrain is not freedom of expression. It is illegal, criminal behaviour.”
The ban was imposed following a gathering in Al Ekr, a village south of the capital Manama where a policeman, Omran Mohammad Ahmad, 19, was killed in an attack on his patrol.
The police launched an investigation into the incident, but opposition figures said that the village was put under siege and called for a gathering in one of its open areas.
“In the aftermath of the tragic event, political societies requested to rally in Al Eker but permission was denied as would be consistent with international law due to the time, place and manner of the rally,” a police statement said.
“The location was certainly provocative in that it was the location where our policeman was intentionally murdered. Despite the permission denial, the organisers held the event. Abuses against the head of state occurred and flags, banners and pictures that promoted sectarianism were displayed.”
Shaikh Rashid dismissed claims of a police siege on the village, saying that “citizens of any country in the world would understand the necessity of implementing security measures to control, but not close, the entrances to the village in order to conduct a thorough investigation into an officer’s death.”
“In fact, our security actions reduced pressure on the village and allowed residents more mobility than they would have had otherwise after a lethal attack,” he said.
Police set up checkpoints at the entrances of Al Eker to keep track of who was coming and going and security forces were able to identify and arrest several suspects while some are still at large. “We know who they are and they know we know who they are. In time, justice will take its course,” the minister said.
Shaikh Rashid said that rallies and the right to freedom of expression were subject to the law and that under international law, organisers were required to control and marshals their events to keep criminal elements from engaging in violence. “Many event organisers in Bahrain have a proven track record of being unable to fulfil this responsibility,” the statement said.
