Participants in Baghdad Conference Condemn Saudi Occupation of Bahrain

Participants in a conference in Baghdad deplored suppression of the Bahraini people by the Al Khalifa regime and once again condemned the continued occupation of the tiny Persian Gulf island by the Saudi troops.

Participants in the conference dubbed as ‘Bahraini regime’s crimes against peaceful protesters and global silence’ held in the Iraqi capital condemned, in their speeches and articles, the double-standard policies exercised by the world states on regional developments, specially with regard to the violation of the Bahraini people’s rights by the Saudi occupying forces.

Senior figures from Bahraini opposition parties, revolutionary forces and politicians and a number of Iraqi scholars and religious figures participated in the event.

Speaking to Al-Alam Arabic language network on the sidelines of the conference, Sheikh Meysam al-Jamri, a prominent Bahraini opposition figure, called on the Manama regime to end intimidation of the people and respect peoples’ rights.

He also complained that people in Bahrain are attacked not only by the Al Khalifa forces, but also the US, Britain and the Persian Gulf Arab littoral states.

Iraqi parliament member Ali Nasser also condemned the continue and aggravating violation of the Bahraini people’s rights, and described the killing of protestors as an “international crime”.

Anti-government protesters have been holding peaceful demonstrations across Bahrain since mid-February 2011, calling for an end to the Al Khalifa dynasty’s over-40-year rule.

Violence against the defenseless people escalated after a Saudi-led conglomerate of police, security and military forces from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) member states were dispatched to the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom on March 13, 2011 to help Manama crack down on peaceful protestors.

So far, tens of people have been killed, hundreds have gone missing and thousands of others have been injured.