Sheikh Rashid Bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa made the announcement in a statement carried by the official BNA news agency, saying the decision was taken to preserve “civil peace.”
The minister stressed recent opposition protests led by Al-Wefaq had been marred by “acts of sabotage” and that the demonstrators had “called for the overthrow of the government.”
“It was decided to stop all rallies and gatherings (to ensure) … security is maintained,” said the statement.
It warned that “any illegal rally or gathering would be tackled through legal actions against those calling for it and participants.”
The authorities had rejected an Al-Wefaq request for a rally Sunday evening at Akar, a village near the capital Manama where a bomb resulted in the death of a policeman on Oct. 18.
