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TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast condemned on Friday the violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Bahrain.
Violence has escalated ahead of the anniversary of last year’s popular uprisings in the tiny Persian Gulf sheikhdom.
Amnesty International urged Bahrain on January 26 to investigate its use of tear gas against frequent protests in the country, citing a Bahraini rights group as saying 13 people had died from its indiscriminate use, Reuters reported.
Mehmanparast said that the Islamic Republic of Iran condemns the killing and injuring of the people of Bahrain who had staged peaceful demonstrations by security forces.
He also criticized regional countries and international organizations for their silence in the face of the crackdown on Bahraini protesters and human rights violations in the country and called on the Western hegemonistic powers to abandon their double-standard approaches toward uprisings occurring in the region.
Mehmanparast emphasized that the presence of foreign forces in Bahrain will not help resolve any problem, expressing hope that the Bahraini government would help defuse the crisis through practicing self-restraint, refrain from taking any violent action when dealing with peaceful protests, and take confidence-building measures, including the release of political prisoners.
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