Bahrain Opposition Defense Lawyers Quit in Protest

Defense lawyers for Bahrain's main Shiite opposition bloc al-Wefaq withdrew on Tuesday from court proceedings to dissolve it on Tuesday in protest at the government's push to accelerate the process.

The administrative court had already suspended all of al-Wefaq's activities on June 14, ordering its offices closed and assets frozen in a move that drew concern from the United Nations and the United States.

The bloc was the largest in parliament before its lawmakers resigned in protest at the crushing of 2011 protests calling for an elected government.

"The defense team is finding it impossible to carry out its duty legally and professionally in light of the very short period" given to prepare, the three lawyers said in a joint statement.

They said the authorities had also refused to allow them access to documents at the bloc's headquarters.

"Therefore, the defense team has withdrawn from the case," they announced during a hearing held at the request of the justice ministry which began proceedings at the administrative court to dissolve al-Wefaq.

The court had initially not been due to meet on the government's request to dissolve al-Wefaq until October 6 but brought the session forward to last Thursday at the request of Justice Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ali al-Khalifa.

A new session was held on Tuesday instead of September 4 as previously agreed, and the next hearing was set for Monday.

The justice ministry has accused the bloc of providing a haven for "terrorism, radicalization and violence" and opening the way for "foreign interference" in the kingdom's affairs.

That was an allusion to Iran, which Sunni-ruled Bahrain accuses of fomenting unrest among its Shiite majority.

Tiny but strategic Bahrain lies just across the Gulf from Iran and is the home base of the U.S. Fifth Fleet.

Last month, an appeals court more than doubled a four-year prison sentence handed down against al-Wefaq leader Ali Salman on charges of inciting violence.