A lawmaker said efforts by the Bahrain regime to divert attention from the popular uprising in the country and suppress the democratic demands of its nation are futile.
Akbar Ranjbarzadeh, a principlist member of the Majlis Presiding Board, made the statement in an interview with ICANA on Tuesday.
It has become routine for the Bahraini rulers to use any excuse to accuse Iran of plotting in the tiny Persian Gulf Arab country without providing any evidence.
He was referring to a claim Sunday by Bahrain’s Interior Ministry that it had arrested eight men convicted or wanted on “terrorism” charges as they tried to escape to Iran by speedboat.
“The Al Khalifa (regime) is adopting divisionary tactics to deflect attention [from their setbacks],” he said. “The Bahraini people want democracy and they will not stop until they get it.”
Ranjbarzadeh expressed hope that Manama would respond to the popular demands and stop oppressing its own people.
The official Bahrain news agency reported on Sunday that the move was planned by two Bahraini fugitives in Iran. It said seven detainees had been sentenced to between 10 to 15 years in prison on “terrorism” charges and the eighth was wanted also on terrorism charges.
Bahrain has been rocked by protests since February 2011, with pro-democracy campaigners demanding reforms. The Al Khalifa family describes them as “terrorists” with alleged Iranian backing for stirring up unrest in the island country.
