Bahrain court orders main Shiite opposition group dissolved

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A court in Bahrain ordered the country’s main Shiite opposition group to be dissolved Sunday, deepening a crackdown on dissent in the strategically important Western-allied kingdom.

The order against al-Wefaq marks one of the sharpest blows yet against civil society activists in the Sunni-ruled island nation, which was rocked by widespread protests led by its Shiite majority demanding political reforms five years ago.

In issuing its ruling, the High Civil Court accused al-Wefaq of multiple offenses, including objecting to the legitimacy of the country’s constitution and “legislative authority,” supporting violence, and expressing “solidarity with persons convicted for instigating regime hate, a coup d’etat and demeaning the judiciary and executive bodies.”

Brian Dooley, director for human rights defenders at Washington’s Human Rights First, blasted Sunday’s decision as the “government’s single most repressive act of the last five years.”