Bahraini Clerics Call Jail Term against Sheikh Qassim ‘Declaration of War’
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A number of Bahraini clerics condemned the Al Khalifa regime for sentencing Sheikh Isa Qassim, the spiritual leader of the country’s Shiite majority, to one year in prison, saying the verdict is tantamount to “a declaration of war”.
The verdict issued against Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim is a declaration of war from the Manama regime, the clerics said in a statement issued on Sunday.
They also declared a day of public rage in Bahrain, calling on the people to stage more anti-regime protests until it makes a change in its “lunatic” policies.
A Bahraini court, in a politically motivated move on Sunday, announced the verdict against Sheikh Qassim, sentencing him to one year in prison.
According to the Verdict, Sheikh Qassim’s properties worth three million Bahraini dinars (near $8 million) have been confiscated. The cleric was also sentenced to pay a fine of 1,000 Bahraini dinars (about $2,650).
According to local reports, Sheikh Qassim’s prison sentence has been suspended for three years.
The verdict came several hours after Bahraini people from all walks of life staged anti-regime protests in various cities across the Persian Gulf country to voice their support for Sheikh Qassim.
During the rallies, the Bahraini citizens once again underlined that they would defend the prominent cleric to death.
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.
