The government in Sunni-ruled Bahrain announced Sunday an indefinite ban on the independent Al-Wasat newspaper on accusations that it publishes “what sows division” in the Shiite-majority Gulf kingdom. The ministry of information affairs said it had decided to bar the publication and stop its circulation “until further notice”, according BNA state news agency, without specifying … Read more
Bahrain has referred its first civilian case to a military court following a constitutional amendment approved by the king last month, Amnesty International said on Tuesday. Inspired in part by Arab Spring uprisings, Bahrain has since 2011 witnessed regular protests against the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty which has ruled the Shiite-majority Gulf kingdom for more than … Read more
Bahrain’s upper house of parliament on Sunday approved a constitutional amendment which grants military courts the right to try civilians, sparking concern for the fate of activists already in custody. The 40-seat Shura Council, the upper parliamentary chamber appointed by the king in the Gulf state, unanimously approved an amendment to Article 105, members of … Read more
A security lockdown has been imposed around Jaw prison, south of the capital Manama, the interior ministry said. It did not say how many prisoners had escaped. Sporadic unrest has hit Bahrain since protests in February 2011 demanded an end to discrimination of the Shia majority by the Sunni Muslim rulers. At the time, demonstrators … Read more
British Prime Minister Theresa May has said that she wants to deepen defence cooperation with Gulf countries and work towards signing “an ambitious trade agreement” with them. Addressing the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) annual summit in Bahraini capital Manama on Wednesday, May said Britain wanted to “make a more permanent and more enduring commitment to … Read more