Bahraini regime targets opposition newspaper over Morocco unrest

Bahraini regime authorities have ordered the opposition-linked al-Wasat newspaper to stop publishing until further notice amid the Aal-e Khalifah's heavy-handed crackdown on political dissent and pro-democracy campaigners in the tiny Persian Gulf island State.

Mansoor al-Jamri, the independent paper's editor-in-chief, said Aal-e Khalifa's Information Affairs Authority issued the order first verbally on Sunday, and later through a statement published by the state-run Bahrain News Agency.

Jamri called the order a “total surprise,” noting, “We didn't have any due process basically.”

The sudden closure of al-Wasat daily came after it published an article about popular protests and a general strike in Morocco’s restive northern city of al-Hoceima.

The city, located on the northern edge of the Rif Mountains with a population of 56,000 people, has been the scene of social unrest since last October, when 31-year-old fishmonger Mouhcine Fikri was crushed to death in a garbage compactor as he protested against the seizure of swordfish caught out of season.

Tensions intensified in Hoceima on May 29, when Nasser Zefzafi, who emerged as the leader of the protesters’ Popular Movement, was arrested along with others.

Police had earlier issued the arrest warrant for Zefzafi after he confronted a local cleric, who was criticizing recent anti-corruption protests during his sermon.

Security forces later tried to arrest the activist for interrupting the preacher, but the move led to clashes between them and Zefzafi’s supporters.

SS