Iraqis Stage Rallies in Solidarity with Bahrain’s Sheikh Qassim
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Hundreds of Iraqi people, including supporters of prominent cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, held a protest rally in front of Bahrain’s embassy in Baghdad to voice their outrage over a recent move by Manama to revoke the nationality of top Shiite cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim.
During the demonstration held on Friday, the protesters carried placards in support of Sheikh Qassim and condemned the Al Khalifa regime for stripping the top cleric of his Bahraini citizenship, according to the Arabic-language al-Sumaria news website.
People in other Iraqi cities, including those in Basrah Province, also held rallies on Friday to express their solidarity with Sheikh Qassim.
According to media reports, Bahrain on Friday summoned the Iraqi ambassador to Manama, Ahmed Naif Rashid al-Dulaimi.
On June 20, Bahrain said that the citizenship of Sheikh Qassim has been revoked, accusing him of sowing sectarian divisions.
Bahrain, a close ally of the US in the Persian Gulf region, has been witnessing almost daily protests against the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011, with Manama using heavy-handed measures in an attempt to crush the demonstrations.
Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on the peaceful demonstrations.
Amnesty International and many other international rights organizations have frequently censured the Bahraini regime for the rampant human rights abuses against opposition groups and anti-regime protesters.
