Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society,sometimes shortened to simply Al-Wefaq,is a Shi'a Bahraini political party operating clandestinely after being ordered by the highest court in Bahrain to be dissolved and liquidated. Although from 2006 to 2011 it was by far the single largest party in the Bahraini legislature,with 18 representatives in the 40-member Bahraini parliament,it was often outvoted by coalition blocs of opposition Sunni parties and independent MPs reflecting gerrymandering of electoral districts. On 27 February 2011,the 18 Al-Wefaq members of parliament submitted letters of resignation to protest regime violence against pro-reform Bahraini protestors.
Ali Salman Ahmed Salman is a Bahraini Twelver Shi'a cleric and the Secretary-General of the Al-Wefaq political society. In January 1995,the Bahraini government forcibly exiled him to Dubai for leading a popular campaign demanding the reinstatement of the constitution and the restoration of parliament during the 1990s Uprising. From there he made his way to London and sought asylum. He continued opposition activities from London,where he was associated with the Bahrain Freedom Movement. Salman returned to Bahrain in March 2001 in a general amnesty as part of a set of political reforms announced by King Hamad.
The Bahrain Freedom Movement is a London-based Bahraini opposition group which has its headquarters in a north London mosque. Its main medium is the Voice of Bahrain website which was blocked for several years by Batelco,Bahrain's sole Internet service provider,on orders from the Ministry of Information.
The Council of Representatives,sometimes translated as the "Chamber of Deputies",is the name given to the lower house of the Bahraini National Assembly,the national legislative body of Bahrain.
The National Justice Movement,also known as the al-Adala Society,is a secular and Arab nationalist political party in Bahrain.
General elections were held in Bahrain in November and December 2006 to elect the forty members of the Council of Representatives. The first round of voting was held on 25 November,with a second round on 2 December 2006.
General elections were held in Bahrain in October 2010 to elect the forty members of the Council of Representatives. The first round of voting was held on 23 October,with a second round on 30 October. Amidst boycotts and arrests,Al Wefaq won 18 of the 40 seats. Four women were elected.
The 2011Bahraini uprising was a series of anti-government protests in Bahrain led by the Shia-dominant and some Sunni minority Bahraini opposition from 2011 until 2014. The protests were inspired by the unrest of the 2011 Arab Spring and protests in Tunisia and Egypt and escalated to daily clashes after the Bahraini government repressed the revolt with the support of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Peninsula Shield Force. The Bahraini protests were a series of demonstrations,amounting to a sustained campaign of non-violent civil disobedience and some violent resistance in the Persian Gulf country of Bahrain. As part of the revolutionary wave of protests in the Middle East and North Africa following the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia,the Bahraini protests were initially aimed at achieving greater political freedom and equality for the 70% Shia population.
Nabeel Ahmed Abdulrasool Rajab is a Bahraini human rights activist and opposition leader. He is a member of the Advisory Committee of Human Rights Watch's Middle East Division,Deputy Secretary General for the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH),former chairman of CARAM Asia,member of the Advisory Board of the Bahrain Rehabilitation and Anti-Violence Organization (BRAVO),and Founding Director of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR).
The international reactions to the 2011 Bahraini uprising include responses by supranational organisations,non-governmental organisations,media organisations,and both the governments and civil populaces,like of fellow sovereign states to the protests and uprising in Bahrain during the Arab Spring. The small island nation's territorial position in the Persian Gulf not only makes it a key contending regional power but also determines its geostrategic position as a buffer between the Arab World and Iran. Hence,the geostrategic implications aid in explaining international responses to the uprising in Bahrain. Accordingly,as a proxy state between Saudi Arabia and Iran,Bahrain's domestic politics is both wittingly and unavoidably shaped by regional forces and variables that determine the country's response to internal and external pressures.
Al-Arab was an Arabic-language news channel which vowed to practice objective journalism. It was launched on 1 February 2015 and almost immediately shut down. The channel was owned by Saudi prince and entrepreneur Al-Waleed bin Talal,and was based in Manama,Bahrain.
Abdulwahab Hussain Ali Ahmed Esmael is a Bahraini political activist,writer,religious figure and philosopher. He was one of the most prominent opposition leaders in the 1990s uprising when he was arrested twice for a total length of five years in which he was allegedly subjected to solitary confinement and torture. After his release in 2001,he supported government reform plans.
The following is an incomplete timeline of events that followed the Bahraini uprising of 2011 from July to December 2011. This phase saw many popular protests,escalation in violence and the establishment of an independent government commission to look into the previous events.
The following is a timeline of the Bahraini uprising from February to March 2011,beginning with the start of protests in February 2011 and including the Saudi and Emirati-backed crackdown from 15 March.
The following is an incomplete timeline of events that followed the Bahraini uprising of 2011 from January to August 2012. This phase saw the first anniversary protest of the Bahraini uprising,the largest demonstrations in the history,and the escalation of violent clashes between youths and security forces.
The Day of Rage is the name given by protesters in Bahrain to 14 February 2011,the first day of the national uprising as part of the Arab Spring. Inspired by successful uprisings in Egypt and in Tunisia,Bahraini youth organised protests using social-media websites. They appealed to the Bahraini people "to take to the streets on Monday 14 February in a peaceful and orderly manner". The day had a symbolic value,being the ninth and tenth anniversaries of the country's 2002 constitution and the National Action Charter respectively.
The following is an incomplete timeline of events that followed the Bahraini uprising of 2011 from September 2012 onward.
Abduljalil Khalil Ibrahim Hassan is a Bahraini politician. He is former Member of Parliament of Al Wefaq political party.
Matar Ebrahim Ali Matar is a Bahraini politician of the Al Wefaq party who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from October 2010 until his resignation in early 2011. Born in the village of Al Daih to a large family with diverse political views,Matar completed his secondary education in Bahrain and moved to Kuwait to pursue higher education. He remained there until 2002 when he returned to Bahrain and joined Al Wefaq political party. Matar was politically active,working within committees in the party and meeting with foreign officials. In 2010,he won with a large margin in the Parliamentary election,becoming the youngest of all MPs and representing the country's largest constituency.
Bahrain Tamarod,also known as August 14 Rebellion,was a three-day protest campaign in Bahrain that began on 14 August 2013,the forty-second anniversary of Bahrain Independence Day and the two-and-a-half-year anniversary of the Bahraini uprising. The call for protests had started in early July following and inspired by the Egyptian Tamarod Movement that led to the removal of President Mohamed Morsi. Calling for a "free and democratic Bahrain",Tamarod activists,who mobilized social networking websites,said their movement was peaceful,national and non-sectarian. They called for gradual peaceful civil disobedience starting from 14 August. The movement gained the support of opposition societies and human rights activists,including those languishing in prison. The government however,repeatedly warned against the protests,promising those who participate with legal action and forceful confrontation. Rights activists and media reported that authorities had stepped up their crackdown campaigns in the weeks leading to the protests.
