DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Gulf troops will stay in Bahrain until its rulers are satisfied that threats from Iran have eased, the island kingdom’s foreign minister said Monday.
Bahrain’s king declared martial law last month and invited about 1,500 troops from Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states to help contain a Shiite uprising that Sunni leaders around the oil-rich region believe could open the way for greater influence by Shiite powerhouse Iran.
The country’s foreign minister, Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, told reporters that the Gulf force is needed to counter a “sustained campaign” by Iran in Bahrain, the host of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.
“There is an external threat on the whole Gulf,” the minister said on the sidelines of an anti-piracy conference in Dubai. He denied the Gulf force is “policing” the majority Shiite nation and emphasized the foreign forces’ stated mission is to protect Bahrain’s “vital installations against a foreign threat.”
Authorities claimed they see Iran’s influence in the Shiite opposition that has staged weeks of demonstrations and sit-ins demanding greater political freedoms and equal rights.
Tehran has denounced the deployment of a Saudi-led force to help prop up Bahrain’s monarchy and condemned the crackdown.
Hundreds of protesters, opposition leaders and human rights activists have been taken into custody since Bahrain declared emergency rule March 15 attempts to crush the revolt.
Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa on Monday said protesters, who had called for his removal, would be held to account and described the anti-government unrest as a coup attempt.
“Bahrain has witnessed a coup attempt,” he said in remarks carried by pro-government media on Monday. “No violators would get away with it. All co-conspirators and abettors must be held accountable.”
Weeks of anti-government protests in February and March by the Shiite majority demanded more freedom, an end to discrimination and a constitutional monarchy in the Sunni-ruled country, which is a US ally.
Bahrain’s state news agency said on Monday seven detained opposition supporters will go on trial before a military court for the killing of two policemen.
The report by the Bahrain News Agency said a military prosecutor charged the seven with premeditated murder on Sunday. They also face “other charges,” the report said.
It did not elaborate, except to say the two policemen died after being run over by a car in the capital Manama.
Another hearing in the case is set for Tuesday.
The seven are the first of the hundreds taken in custody to be charged with a crime since Bahrain’s military stormed the protesters’ encampment in Manama’s Pearl Square a month ago.
Earlier this month the authorities banned media from covering legal proceedings in the country’s military courts. Bahrain’s human rights organizations blasted the gag order, saying that trials behind closed doors have no legal credibility.
“If a government decides to hold trials in secret, it is very likely the government is hiding something,” said Nabeel Rajab, the head of Bahrain’s Human Rights Center.
Among those detained are also dozens of Shiite professionals, such as doctors and lawyers, including the lawyer who was to defend the seven suspected opposition supporters in the military court, Rajab said.
The attorney, Mohammed Al-Tajer, is one of Bahrain’s most prominent human rights lawyers. He has represented hundreds of clients against the state, including Shiite activists accused of plotting against the Sunni monarchy. He was taken into custody on Saturday.
At least 30 people have died since Feb. 15, when anti-government protests erupted in Bahrain, inspired by the uprisings in the Arab world. Four opposition supporters have also died in police custody.
Athletes and sports officials have not been spared by the crackdown. On Monday, a senior sports official in Bahrain said 150 athletes, coaches and referees have been suspended from their local clubs.
The official told The Associated Press a committee was formed last week to examine the role athletes played in the protests which began Feb. 14.
The official spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
The official said the 150 suspended as of Sunday do not include any Olympic athletes and are mostly from local basketball, handball and football clubs. They include four members of the national football team who are all Shiite — brothers Alaa Hubail and Mohammed Hubail, Abbas Ayaad and Mohamad Sayed Adnan.
The government has also arrested hundreds who took part in the protests and state-owned companies have fired Shiite workers who were absent from work during a strike called for by unions.
The International Trade Union Confederation said in a statement that about 2,000 workers who took part in the protests had been fired, including 22 local trade union leaders. “The authorities are clearly targeting and discriminating against workers due to their involvement in union activities,” the trade union group said. It called for the International Labor Organization to form a commission to probe the firings.
The opposition says the government has launched a campaign against Shiites, whether or not they had joined the protests.
“They’re targeting professionals, people who stand out like famous athletes,” said Mattar Ibrahim Mattar, a former parliamentarian from the main Shiite opposition group Wefaq.
Mattar said 29 people had been killed since the protests started including six non-Shiites. The six included two foreigners — an Indian and a Bangladeshi — and four policemen.