Posner: Bahrain Government Has “Obligation to Stop” Violence

In a statement given during a recent visit, Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner  condemned violence in Bahrain, saying “We are concerned about reports of excessive use of force, including tear gas, in response to ongoing street protests,” he said. He added, ”I want to be clear that we also condemn the use of violence by demonstrators which the government has an obligation to stop.” He also spoke to government officials about “the need for swift action on the reinstatement of workers unfairly dismissed from their jobs,” as well as “concerns about ongoing court cases against doctors, journalists, former members of parliament, and others, that appear to be based, at least in part, on their criticism of government actions and policies.” A video of his remarks can been seen below.

In a statement, five opposition groups, led by al-Wefaq, said the Bahraini government should launch “serious” dialogue and political reforms to pull the nation out of political deadlock. The groups said they were in favor of “opening a serious dialogue with the regime to exit the current political crisis that is inflicting heavy losses on the country and people.” Additionally, they said the dialogue should be focused on “implementing drastic and comprehensive political and constitutional reforms.” The statement read: ”It is not acceptable to talk about the outcome of the so-called ‘national dialogue’ as a suitable foundation for the wanted reforms because it is void of any real constitutional and political reforms.”

Meanwhile, Tariq Al Hassan, a spokesman for Bahrain’s Ministry of Information, said an investigation into policemen attacking citizens has been launched, with ministry members watching video footage of the attacks. “The Legal Affairs Department has … taken legal procedures against some ministry personnel suspected to be involved in the case,” he said.