Rights group urges Bahrain to lift ban on protests

(CNN) — Rights group Amnesty International has called on Bahrain to lift a ban on all public protests immediately, saying it violates people’s right to free speech and peaceful assembly.

The ban was announced by the Interior Ministry on Tuesday on the grounds that public rallies “jeopardize civil peace and disturb security and general order,” according to the state-run Bahrain News Agency.

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The government had sought to protect freedom of expression, but “that privilege has been abused repeatedly by organizers’ violations” and people’s lack of respect for the law, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa is quoted as saying.

Rallies will remain outlawed until “security is maintained,” BNA reported.

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Violent clashes have broken out between security forces and opposition protesters on numerous occasions since protests began in the Persian Gulf kingdom in February 2011, spurred by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

But Amnesty International warned that a ban on gatherings was unwarranted and amounted to a drastic crackdown on people’s freedoms.

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“Even in the event of sporadic or isolated violence once an assembly is under way, the authorities cannot simply declare a blanket prohibition on all protests,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, deputy director for Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa program

“Such a sweeping measure amounts to nothing less than nullifying the rights to freedom of association, expression and assembly. Law enforcement officials must act to protect peaceful protesters rather than using the violent acts of a few as a pretext to restrict or impede the rights of all.”

The Interior Ministry’s announcement pointed the finger at opposition political groups, headed by the Al Wefaq party, as being behind ongoing protests. The ministry said the protests were a continuation of those held in February and March of last year that it said called for the overthrow of leading figures and the state.

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The rallies have been associated with “violence, rioting and attacks on public and private property,” and are a threat to public safety and commerce, according to BNA.

The demonstrations staged in Bahrain early last year failed to gain the traction of other Arab Spring uprisings after a crackdown by authorities in the island state. The crackdown was backed by troops from nearby Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Last November, Bahrain’s Independent Commission of Inquiry issued a report critical of authorities’ reactions to the protests.

The independent commission, set up by the king, concluded that police had used excessive force and torture in their response to the protests in the Sunni-ruled, Shiite-majority country. It recommended reforms to the country’s law and better training of its security forces, as well as other measures.

Bahrain plays a key strategic role in the Middle East and is home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters.

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CNN’s Saad Abedine and Mohammed Jamjoom contributed to this report.

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Rights group urges Bahrain to lift ban on protests