Secretary-General Deplores Dissolution of Main Opposition Party in Bahrain, Warning that Restrictions Risk Escalating Already Tense Situation

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General deplores the dissolution of Al-Wefaq, the main opposition political party in Bahrain.  The move is the latest in a series of restrictions of the rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of association, and freedom of expression in Bahrain.

The Secretary-General underscores that the dissolution of Al-Wefaq; the stripping of citizenship of Sheikh Issa Qassem and others; the travel ban on human rights defenders; and the increased sentence for the Secretary-General of Al-Wefaq, Sheikh Ali Salman, risk escalating an already tense situation in the country.  He calls for the resumption of an all-inclusive national dialogue in the interest of peace and stability of Bahrain and the region.