Senior Cleric Calls for Reforms in Bahrain
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Bahrain’s prominent Shiite cleric Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Ahmed Qassim has warned that a delay in political reforms in the country could lead to a national catastrophe.
Sheikh Qassim lashed out at the Bahraini regime over what he called empty promises for reform.
“The time for reform is today and surely not tomorrow,” he said.
The cleric said no one can deny the corruption in the country.
Sheikh Qassim also repeated the calls of human rights watchdogs for releasing political prisoners in Bahrain.
The highest-profile activist is Sheikh Ali Salman, the secretary general of the main opposition group, Al-Wefaq. The cleric has been in custody since late December over charges of inciting violence and promoting regime change.
Since mid-February 2011, thousands of anti-regime protesters have held numerous demonstrations on the streets of Bahrain, calling for the Al Khalifa family to relinquish power, Press TV reported.
The Manama regime’s crackdown on peaceful protests has intensified since the arrest of Sheikh Salman.
Scores of people have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the crackdown on peaceful demonstrations since 2011.
On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to Bahrain to assist the Manama government in its crackdown on peaceful protesters.
