MANAMA: Bahrain's parliament Tuesday accepted the resignations of 11 MPs who quit over the use of deadly force against pro-democracy demonstrators, in a vote exposing them to possible legal action. The house in a unanimous vote “accepted the resignations of 11 MPs of Al-Wefaq, which with 18 seats makes up the largest bloc in the 40-member parliament, official news agency BNA said. It said that parliament decided to postpone a vote on the other seven members of Al-Wefaq, which heads the opposition in the Gulf country. Tuesday's vote cleared the way for the possible prosecution of the outspoken former MPs now stripped of parliamentary immunity, following calls for the opposition to face charges in court. On March 16, Bahraini security forces drove the protesters out of central Manama's Pearl Square under a state of emergency, ending a month-long campaign on the streets against the regime. Former MP Matar Matar said the parliament's move Tuesday reflected “confusion” and argued that it was “illogical” to accept some of the mass resignations and ignoring the rest. Technically, Bahrain's parliament can operate in the absence of Al-Wefaq. But MP Ali Ahmed said the remaining seven cases were left pending in order to avoid any need to hold partial elections in their constituencies at a time of tensions, with many villages under tight security. Islamists and independent MPs pushed for the vote to accept the resignations, despite calls for a postponement to avoid an escalation. The Wefaq bloc suspended its membership in parliament on Feb. 15 in protest at the use of lethal force against demonstrators in villages, where two demonstrators were shot dead. They stepped down at the end of February after the death toll in protests had risen to seven. At least 15 people were killed in clashes with security forces, according to an Al-Wefaq toll. Bahrain's military prosecutor, meanwhile, has imposed a news blackout on a probe of several leading opposition activists arrested during the crackdown on anti-regime protests. Colonel Yosuf Fulaifel said the defendants were being investigated under the emergency law announced last month by the king, according to a statement carried by BNA news agency. A coalition of seven opposition groups, backed by lawyers, has written to the country's public prosecutor protesting the handling of the probe by the military prosecutor. They stressed that the king announced an “emergency law and not martial law,” meaning that cases of detained civilians “remain within the jurisdiction of civil courts.” A deadlock between the government and the opposition has persisted despite reports of a Kuwait-sponsored mediation aimed at launching a national dialogue between the two sides as proposed by Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad. Prominent Kuwaiti businessman Ali Al-Matrouk is reported to be leading the mediation. But Bahrain's Foreign Minister Khaled bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa, on his Twitter page, denies any such efforts.
