Bahraini Protesters Condemn Raid on Top Cleric's House


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Bahrainis staged demonstrations to vent anger on regime forces' recent raid on the house of top Shiite cleric Ayatollah Sheikh Issa Ahmed Qassem.

Angry protesters took to the streets in Duraz and Sadad regions on Tuesday night to condemn the raid.

The security forces also blocked nearby streets amid fears over spread of violence, al-Wefaq website reported.

Bahrain's main opposition bloc al-Wefaq condemned the raid on Sheikh Qassem’s house, stressing that the Al Khalifa regime will have to face the consequences of the brazen move.

Bahraini security forces raided the house of the cleric on Monday. Witnesses say regime forces even took photos of the ID cards of everyone who was inside the house in Diraz, west of the capital Manama.

The raid came just a few days after people voted in a referendum held by the opposition parties of Bahrain.

An overwhelming majority of the voters voted yes in the referendum which asked them, “Do you agree that your fate is decided with the election of new political establishment in Bahrain with the United Nations monitoring?”

The opposition had boycotted the parliamentary elections which were held with a low turnout on the same day across the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom.