Iran has denied having a role in Bahrain’s uprising after a court in the Persian Gulf kingdom handed prison sentences to 14 individuals over links to the Islamic Republic. 
A Bahraini court recently gave jail terms to 14 men after convicting them of spying and receiving military training from Iran. The court condemned 12 of the 14 individuals to life in prison and two others to 15 years behind bars.


An informed official at the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday dismissed the accusation against Iran, saying Bahrain was after a scapegoat to cover up its crackdown on protesters.
“Bahraini officials had better seriously address the civil demands of their people instead of playing a blame game and leveling unfounded allegations against others,” he said.
He added that Manama should avoid adopting “security and police approaches” towards the unrest in the country and instead adopt confidence-building measures to pave the way for serious dialog to settle the turmoil in the Persian Gulf kingdom.

Bahrainis have been staging demonstrations since mid-February 2011, calling for political reforms and a constitutional monarchy, a demand that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests.

Earlier this month, Amnesty International voiced concern over Bahrain’s crackdown on anti-regime protesters.

Said Boumedouha, Amnesty International’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa said the rights of people in Bahrain to “peacefully” express their opposition to government policies and voice human rights concerns are “legitimate and must be respected.”

By Press TV

 

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