Bahrainis denied most basic human rights: Sheikh Salman

Jailed Bahraini Shia cleric Sheikh Ali Salman has censured Manama’s heavy-handed crackdown on dissent, saying the Al Khalifa regime is trampling on the most basic human rights and freedoms in the Persian Gulf state.

In a Twitter message addressed to an annual security conference underway in the Bahraini capital (known as the Manama Dialogue), Salman urged the participants in the forum to have in mind the fact that people in his country are stripped of fundamental human rights – particularly freedom of expression – by Al Khalifa rulers, Arabic-language Bahrain Mirror news website reported.

The two-day event, which opened earlier on Saturday, is focused on regional security challenges.

Salman further said that a great proportion of the Bahraini population has paid dearly in pursuit of demands for the establishment of democracy and respect for human rights in Bahrain.

Thousands of dissidents are currently being held in Bahrain jails, while hundreds of people have been forced out of their jobs since an uprising began against the Al Khalifa rule in 2011, said the 50-year-old Shia figure.

The imprisoned opposition leader also urged participants in the Manama conference to help create an atmosphere of serious dialog between the Al Khalifa regime and the opposition.

Salman was detained on December 28, 2014 on charges of attempting to overthrow the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty and collaboration with foreign powers. He has strongly denied the charges, emphasizing that he has been seeking reforms in Bahrain through peaceful means.