Bahrain: Opposition Defense Lawyers Quit in Protest, Detained Activist Hospitalized

Local Editor

Defense lawyers for Bahrain's main Shiite opposition bloc al-Wafaq withdrew on Tuesday from court proceedings to dissolve it on Tuesday in protest at the government's push to accelerate the process.

The administrative court already suspended all of al-Wafaq's activities on June 14, ordering its offices closed and assets frozen in a move that drew concern from the UN and the US.

Relatively, the bloc was the largest in parliament before its lawmakers resigned in protest at the crushing of 2011 protests calling for an elected government.

"The defense team is finding it impossible to carry out its duty legally and professionally in light of the very short period" given to prepare, the three lawyers said in a joint statement.

They further added the authorities also refused to allow them access to documents at the bloc's headquarters.

"Therefore, the defense team has withdrawn from the case," they announced during a hearing held at the request of the justice ministry which began proceedings at the administrative court to dissolve al-Wafaq.

However, the court had initially not been due to meet on the government's request to dissolve al-Wafaq until October 6 but brought the session forward to last Thursday at the request of the minister of justice.

Separately, detained activist Nabeel Rajab was taken to a military hospital Tuesday after suffering an irregular heartbeat following 15 days of being held in isolation.

Police arrested Rajab, the president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, in an early morning raid on June 13. He faces a charge of spreading "false news."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team