Bahrain detains signatures of a petition to constitutional amendments
Bahrain, Politics, 5/1/2004

The Bahraini authorities detained some 16 persons in a breaking in operation of centers for collecting signatures for the constitutional petition in various areas of Bahrain.

The Bahraini authorities refused any lawyer or ones who represent the four societies which assumed gathering the signatures, and intend to displace the detainees to the attorney general after drafting their own report, according to the police.

Deputy chairman of the Bahraini Islamic national society Hassan Musheima said that the detainees were evacuated to an unknown destination.

Musheima said that those persons were detained in four centers in Sanad area, al-Musalla village, Hamad village and al-Mahouz village. According to a statement by the society. The detainees are between 20 to 26 in age.

The four societies which collect the signatures on this petition are the Islamic national reconciliation, the democratic national work, ( a coalition of left and nationals and independents (, the democratic national coalition ( Baathist nationals) and the Islamic work ( Shiite representing the Sherazi trend ).

These four societies boycotted the legislative elections in October 2002 in protest to the constitutional amendments especially the sharing of the legislative authority between the elected parliament and the appointed Shoura council.

However, the royal court minister Sheikh Khaled Bin Ahmad Al-Khalifa announced on April 26th that "no side has to adopt proposals on constitutional amendments." He stressed that the authorities will firmly challenge any attempt to force citizens to sign what he described as "an opinion violating the law." The petition which the societies intend to launch demands constitutional amendments that allow " the authority of legislation and auditing on a council from the elected people's representatives " and to abide by principles stated in the national labor document concerning the constitutional monarchy."

Previous Stories:
  Bahrain warns the opposition against demanding constitutional amendments   (4/27/2004)
  Bahraini opposition gathers signatures calling for political reforms   (4/24/2004)
  Bahrain opposition gives up a move demanding reforms   (4/23/2004)

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