Bahrainis Rally Ahead of Sheikh Qassim’s Trial
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - While the Manama government is going to hold a new court session on Wednesday to try prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim, Bahraini citizens took to the streets to support the religious figure and decry the ruling regime’s conduct.
Bahraini protesters, including women, staged anti-government demonstrations on Tuesday night to reject the trial of Sheikh Qassim on baseless accusations.
The Manama regime will put the senior cleric on trial on Wednesday on charges of money laundering.
Sheikh Qassim, the spiritual leader of Bahrain’s Shiite majority whose nationality has been revoked by the Al Khalifa regime, enjoys huge popular support.
The Al Khalifa regime announced on June 20 that the citizenship of Sheikh Qassim has been revoked, accusing him of sowing sectarian divisions.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Qassim has not appeared in any of the court sessions in the past months held by the regime.
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 or injured and hundreds of others, including senior clerics, have been arrested in the ongoing crackdown on the peaceful protests.