Court dissolves main Shi’ite opposition

A court on Sunday ordered the dissolution of Bahrain’s Shiite main opposition group AlWefaq, 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 Shiite majority, incited violence and encouraged demonstrations and sit-ins which threatened to spark “sectarian strife”.