Al Wefaq to find fate next week

Manama : A Bahraini court will hand down its verdict next week in the government's bid to dissolve the main opposition group Al-Wefaq, accused of harbouring terrorism, a judicial source said yesterday.

The date of July 17 was set as the court convened in the absence of the defence team which walked out last month in protest at the government's push to accelerate the process.

Al-Wefaq was the largest bloc in parliament before its lawmakers resigned in protest.

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

That was an allusion to Iran, which Bahrain accuses of fomenting unrest among its people.