Brussels, 19/07/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 19 July, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS) said the EU expected the verdict to be “reversed” of a Bahraini court to dissolve the Al Wefaq political society and freeze its assets.
In the EEAS press release, the spokesperson said this verdict of 17 July was “the last of a series of worrying developments in the country” (EUROPE 11588). For the EU, “Bahrain's stability and security can only be achieved through reforms and inclusive reconciliation. The verdict on Al Wefaq, the arrest of activist Nabil Rajab and the revocation of citizenship to Sheikh Isa Qassem go, on the contrary, in the direction to further divide Bahraini society”, the EEAS spokesperson said.
Stating that the EU had called on all components of Bahraini society to participate in elections and to work with newly created human rights institutions, the spokesperson said that “this requires an environment in which moderate voices can express peaceful political grievances and where violence has no place”. “The participation of all citizens in political life is a key factor for stability in a key country and strong ally of the European Union”, the spokesperson added. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)