MANAMA: A Bahraini court ordered the activities of the country’s main Shia opposition group to be suspended on Tuesday, less than a month before parliamentary elections are to be held.

The ruling against Al-Wefaq means the group effectively cannot operate for three months in the Gulf island kingdom. It is prevented from organising rallies and press conferences, issuing statements or using its offices, lawyer Abdullah al-Shamlawi said.

Al-Wefaq earlier this month announced it was boycotting elections scheduled for Nov 22. It does not feel the government has engaged in genuine reconciliation efforts following widespread protests directed at the Sunni monarchy that began in 2011 and were dominated by the kingdom’s majority Shias.It slammed Tuesday’s decision in a statement and vowed to “continue in its struggle for democratic transition and justice”.

“Al Wefaq considers the measure irrational and irresponsible,” it said, accusing the Bahraini leadership of “ruling with an iron fist” and attempting to crush the political life of the country.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2014