Monday, March 18, 2013

A step in the right direction?

17 Bahrainis were sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on 17th March, for the attempted murder of 4 police officers last year by planting an incendiary device at a roadblock. The attack which took place last April involved a homemade bomb planted in a roadblock made with tyres, palm tree trunks and garbage bin. The device went off as the officers approached the roadblock in their vehicle. The officers sustained injuries as a result of the explosion.

This news came following the appointment of the Crown Prince of Bahrain was as the new deputy Prime Minister. Previously shunned aside for being a moderate, his appointment has raised hopes of a resolution to end over 2 years of unrest in Bahrain.       

This will place the Crown Prince in a position that will aid efforts of finally resolving years of discord between the Sunni royal family and the majority Shia population.  

According to Khalil al-Marzook, a senior member of the leading opposition al-Wefaq society, “The challenge (for the Crown Prince) will be to leverage this senior role. Now that he is in the government, we should see his reform agenda in practice rather than in words.”

Sources close to the moderate faction in the ruling family claim that the Crown Prince is the “only one that has appeal to everyone. He listens, he takes criticism...” 

His appointment is Bahrain’s way of showing that Bahrain is making efforts to move forward on reforms however, the results remain to be seen.  

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