The Bahraini Court of Appeal on Wednesday approved a decision to dissolve the National Democratic Action Society (Waad), which was issued on May 31 last year, and to return its funds to the state treasury.
Last March, the Bahraini Justice Ministry filed a case against Waad, accusing it of “serious violations targeting the principle of respecting the rule of law, supporting terrorism and sanctioning violence.”
Consequently, the High Civil Court ordered the Society to be dissolved and its assets seized, noting that the group had glorified as “martyrs of the homeland” men convicted of killing three police officers in a bomb attack in 2014. The ruling was subject to appeal.
The Court of Appeal confirmed on Thursday that violations committed by the association “are of great importance considering the circumstances in which they were committed, and threaten the security and stability of the Bahraini society.”
The Court ordered the dissolution of the group and the liquidation of its funds, which were transferred to the state treasury.
The ruling, which was supported by the Court of Appeal, said that the Waad Association offered “baseless arguments that cannot justify the serious violations of the provisions of the law regulating political associations.”
According to the ruling, “freedom of expression, although it is a natural and absolute right for individuals, has limits.” It concluded: “Violations attributed to the defendant group represent a serious breach of the provisions of the law regulating political associations.”
