'Iranian Spies' Caught in Saudi Arabia; Denials Issued

By The Media Line

The Bahraini authorities are denying reports that eight Bahraini nationals, who have been detained in Saudi Arabia since late February, have been charged with spying for Iran. The eight were visited by their families but were denied legal counseling, the Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society (BHRWS) told The Media Line.

On February 29 eight Bahraini tourists claiming to have lost their way were apprehended near a Saudi military base close to Riyadh. Since then they have been questioned for their alleged relations with Iranian organizations and political parties, as well as with Iranian intelligence officers, the news portal Elaph reported.

Officially, no charges have yet been laid against the detainees, who are being investigated by officials from the Saudi Interior Ministry. If found guilty of spying, the eight would face the death penalty.

Although Bahraini Embassy officials were allowed to visit the eight, the BHRWS has accused the Bahraini authorities of not doing enough to secure the wellbeing of the detainees.

Admitting he could not definitely say whether they were indeed innocent, BHRWS international director, Fei'sal Fulad, said the detainees "still had rights."

"We have the right to see them and we asked the Saudi authorities to form a group of lawyers and doctors to meet them," said Fulad.

The Bahraini watchdog also sent a letter to the Saudi Human Rights Commission (SHRC), asking for help in the matter.

The Media Line was told by a source at the SHRC that the group had visited the prisoners and that they were all in good physical condition.

In an interview with the daily Gulf News, the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights expressed concern that the detention of the Bahrainis, all Shi'ites, may be motivated by sectarian tension plaguing the region.

In July last year Iran and Bahrain underwent a diplomatic crisis, following a statement by an adviser to Iran's Spiritual Leader 'Ali Khamanai, according to which Bahrain was an Iranian province.

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa then summoned Iran's charge d'affaires to explain his country's official stand on an editorial written by Hussein Shari'atmadari. The latter, apart from his position at the Spiritual Leader's office, is also managing editor of the Iranian official daily Keyhan.

In his editorial, Shari'atmadari claimed the main demand of the Bahraini people was the return of the "Bahraini Province" to its motherland, Iran. Shari'atmadari also said Bahrain was separated from Iran following "an illegal agreement between the Iranian Shah and the governments of the United States and Britain."

Bahrain is a small island state located in the Persian Gulf. With just over 700,000 citizens living in the kingdom, Bahrain is facing internal discontent from its large Shi'ite minority, which amounts to approximately 70 percent of its entire population.

In March 2007 an Iranian dissident diplomat, 'Adil Al-Asadi, revealed details regarding the alleged recruitment and training in Iran of citizens from the Persian Gulf states. Al-Asadi was an adviser to Iran's foreign minister and was later posted to Dubai as the Iranian consul.

According to Al-Asadi, after receiving military training in Iran, these mostly Shi'ite citizens formed dormant cells in the Persian Gulf states, where they now await Iranian orders.

judythpiazza@newsblaze.com

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