A lawmaker refuted the claim by Bahraini officials that some of its citizens have organized ties with Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units, saying such links are only out of shared religious beliefs. Yahya Kamalipour said, “Just because some Bahrainis have relations with Hezbollah and PMU because of religious matters does not mean these relations are organized,” ICANA reported on Monday. Bahrain’s Interior Minister Rashid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa alleged on Sunday that several anti-establishment groups, whom he labeled terrorists, are run by people who coordinate their actions with Hezbollah and PMU as well as Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps. “These claims are made only out of desperation because the Bahraini regime is trying to find a way to salvage its sinking monarchy,” Kamalipour said. He also criticized widespread human rights violations by Bahrain, including revoking citizenship of individuals, torture, and lengthy imprisonment.
“Bahrain’s leaders are resorting to these moves to save their own ruling system, but they should know that they only make their people angrier and such moves will backfire,” he concluded.
