A court on Sunday ordered the dissolution of Bahrain's Shia main opposition group Al-Wefaq, despite international criticism of the Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom's intensified crackdown on dissent. The administrative court in Manama also ordered the funds of the group, found guilty of "harbouring terrorism" among other charges, to be seized by the government, said the justice ministry. The ruling can still be appealed in the case which Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said his country would continue to follow "closely".
Al-Wefaq was the largest group in parliament before its lawmakers resigned en masse in protest at the crushing of demonstrations in 2011 calling for an elected government.
The court said Al-Wefaq, which draws most of its support from Bahrain's Shia majority, incited violence and encouraged demonstrations and sit-ins which threatened to spark "sectarian strife". It said the bloc had "criticised the performance of the state authorities - executive, judicial, and legislative".
Britain was quick to condemn the ruling. "I am deeply concerned" by the court decision, said Johnson, urging the Bahraini government "to guarantee and protect political freedoms for all its citizens."
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