Lebanon to deport members of 'outlawed' Bahraini group

Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi yesterday ordered the deportation of non-Lebanese individuals affiliated with the Wefaq Society, an organisation outlawed by Bahrain.

The minister sent a letter to the country’s General Directorate of General Security requesting “all measures be taken to deport non-Lebanese members of the Wefaq Society,” the official National News Agency reported.

Mawlawi said a press conference held last week by the group’s members “brought harm to Lebanon’s relationship with the brotherly Kingdom of Bahrain and harmed the interests of the Lebanese state.”

Earlier yesterday, the minister received a phone call from his Bahraini counterpart Rashid Bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa during which Mawlawi stressed Lebanon’s keenness to maintain the Gulf state’s security and stability.

“Lebanon will not be used as a launching pad for hatred or enmity against any Arab country, particularly the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] states,” he said.

During last week’s press conference, the Wefaq Society claimed that Bahraini citizens were exposed to “rights violations” by the Bahraini authorities over the past two years.

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