Bahrain to auction banned opposition’s seized assets

Dubai / AFP

Bahrain will auction the confiscated assets of the main Shiite opposition in the Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom after it was dissolved over terrorism-related charges, a judicial source said on Saturday. An administrative court on Thursday ordered the auctioning of Al-Wefaq’s assets to be held on October 26, the source said. The group’s dissolution in July drew strong criticism from UN chief Ban Ki-moon and Bahrain’s allies in Washington and London, as well as Shiite-dominated Iran which Manama accuses of meddling in its affairs. After the latest court decision, security forces seized Al-Wefaq’s assets including its headquarters outside Manama and two other offices in Shiite villages, the source said. The accusations that led to the ban included “harbouring terrorism”, inciting violence and encouraging demonstrations which threatened to spark sectarian strife in the Shiite-majority country.