Iranian deputy FM blasts Bahraini regime's brutal suppression

An Iranian deputy foreign minister on Friday lambasted the al-Khalifa regime's aggressive attitude and crackdown on the Bahraini people, and warned that violent confrontation and suppression would further complicate the situation in the Persian Gulf country."Aggressive and provocative encounter with the people, continued issuance of decrees by the marshal courts, continued presence of the foreign forces in the country and lack of effective and confidence-building measures widen the gap between the people and the government each day," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told FNA on Friday. Amir Abdollahian reiterated that the only way to settle the problems in the tiny Persian Gulf country is paying attention to the legitimate demands of the people and putting an end to the foreign intervention. Anti-government protesters have been holding peaceful demonstrations across Bahrain since mid-February, 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 - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar - were dispatched to the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom on March 13 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, while thousands more have been arrested. The Bahraini people have repeatedly condemned Riyadh's main role in the suppression of their revolution, and reiterated that they would continue protests until the collapse of the Al-Khalifa regime. Rights activists in Bahrain have repeatedly said that the government's harsh tactics and intimidation against opposition forces cannot smother the popular uprising in the Persian Gulf country. People are being tortured, kidnapped, sexually harassed and assaulted, houses being stolen and raided, villages being raided, and worshipping places are being demolished, the human rights activists reported. Also, the Muslim Women Movement in a recent statement protested at the brutal and cruel behavior of the Bahraini regime towards women in the country, and revealed that the Al-Khalifa regime has imprisoned innocent pregnant women in horrible dungeons. "They keep pregnant women in terrifying prisons, martyr their husbands under torture and attack people's homes at night and create panic and horror," the statement said in April, addressing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.