Al-Wefaq urges release of detained Bahraini students

Bahrain’s main opposition party has called on the Al Khalifa regime to release hundreds of detained students ahead of the new scholastic year.

On Thursday, the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society demanded the release of some 300 students who are currently behind bars in Bahrain’s prisons, mostly due to politically-motivated charges.

The government should “allow these students to take their seats on school and provide them with care as students instead of keeping them locked up,” the party stated on its website.

Also on Wednesday, al-Wefaq lashed out at the Manama regime for practicing “sectarian discrimination” in granting academic scholarships.

Al-Wefaq’s criticism came after the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) also voiced concern over the prevalent discrimination and lack of transparency in the country’s system of scholarship distribution.

“There are several cases of Shia students with GPAs over 90% who received no scholarship, but a mere grant of up to BDH400 (around USD 1,060) annually, which does not cover even a half of their tuition fees and cost of living,” the group said in July.

Bahrain has been witnessing almost daily protests against the Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011, when an uprising began in the kingdom. Since then, thousands of protesters have held numerous rallies in the streets of Bahrain, calling for the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power.

The Manama regime has been severely criticized by human rights groups for its harsh crackdown on anti-government protesters, which has claimed the lives of scores of people so far.

Hundreds of prominent opposition figures, including Sheikh Ali Salman, the secretary general of al-Wefaq party, have also been imprisoned by the Bahraini regime.

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