Fate of Sheikh Qassim Remains Unclear: Representative
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A representative of Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, the spiritual leader of Bahrain’s Shiite majority, said there are conflicting reports about the senior cleric’s fate after a raid on his home by regime forces on Monday.
In an interview with the Tasnim News Agency on Wednesday, Sheikh Abdullah Daqaq, Sheikh Qassim’s representative in Iran, said very conflicting and unreliable reports are being circulated about Sheikh Qassim’s fate.
Stressing that Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa is responsible for protecting the Shiite cleric, he added that the fate of the Ayatollah is still unclear with the regime intercepting all communications in the area and with his house.
Daqaq further urged the secretary general of the United Nations, all human rights organizations, and so-called pro-democracy nations to take prompt action and put an end to the Al Khalifa regime’s heinous crimes and its bloody crackdown on Shiites in Bahrain.
On Monday, Bahraini regime forces stormed into the residence of Sheikh Qassim in the village of Diraz, arresting everyone inside the house.
Reports suggest that the Bahrain top cleric is now under house arrest.
At least five people are reported to have been killed in the raid, and over 280 others have been arrested.
On Sunday, a Bahraini court sentenced Sheikh Qassim to one year in prison. Based on the verdict, the cleric’s properties worth three million Bahraini dinars (near $8 million) have been also confiscated. Moreover, Sheikh Qassim has been sentenced to pay a fine of 1,000 Bahraini dinars (about $2,650).
Bahrain, a close ally of the US in the Persian Gulf, has been witnessing almost daily protests against the Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011, with security forces resorting to harsh measures against demonstrators.
Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on the peaceful protests.