Injustice, Inequality Root Cause of Bahrain's Crisis

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast said that the unjust election system and unfair distribution of political power in Bahrain have caused the people to took to the streets and protest against the al-Khalifa regime. Mehman-Parast made the remarks in a press conference in Erzurum in Turkey on Saturday evening. In Bahrain 70 percent of people can only vote for 20 percent which is not fair and has caused protests in the Persian Gulf tiny Island, said the spokesman. Anti-government protesters have been holding peaceful demonstrations across Bahrain since mid-February 2011, calling for an end to the Al Khalifa dynasty's over-40-year rule. Violence against the defenseless people escalated after a Saudi-led conglomerate of police, security and military forces from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) member states - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar - were dispatched to the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom on March 13, 2011, to help Manama crack down on peaceful protestors. So far, tens of protesters have been killed, hundreds have gone missing and thousands of others have been injured. Police clampdown on protesters continues daily. Authorities have tried to stop organized protests by opposition parties over the last several months by refusing to license them and using tear gas on those who turn up. The opposition coalition wants full powers for the elected parliament and a cabinet fully answerable to parliament.