Brussels, 06/07/2016 (Agence Europe) - Believing that “we are witnessing a series of worrying developments”, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS) advocated reconciliation and reforms in Bahrain on Tuesday 5 July in order to ensure the country's stability.
“The EU remains supportive of Bahrain's stability through reforms and inclusive reconciliation. They can only be sustained in an environment where peaceful political grievances can be expressed freely, and where violence has no place”, the EEAS spokesperson said in a press release.
The spokesperson mentioned the worrying developments of the ongoing legal proceedings regarding the suspension of Bahraini opposition political society Al-Wefaq, “which point to increasing polarisation of society”, and also the sentencing of Al-Wefaq secretary general, Ali Salman, to nine years in prison on appeal. The re-arrest of Nabeel Rajab and measures preventing activists from travelling abroad are another worrying development for Europeans (EUROPE 11576). These events “can only represent an obstacle to national reconciliation in the Kingdom”, the EEAS spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that the EU shared the concerns voiced by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) as regards measures amounting to deprivation of nationality, “which should respect international human rights standards”. “A transparent appeal process should be offered to any citizen subject to such decision”, the EEAS spokesperson stated, adding that revoking the citizenship of prominent figures such as Sheikh Isa Qassim risks increasing divisions and sectarian differences. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)