Bahraini Regime Arrests Shiite Cleric, Wife, Sister on Political Grounds
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Bahraini regime, in yet another move to silence voices of dissent, has arrested a Shiite cleric and his wife on political grounds, activists said.
The activists said the Al Khalifa regime forces raided the house of Sheikh Abdulzahra Karbabadi in the northern village of Karbabad on Friday and arrested the cleric and his wife, the Arabic-language Bahrain Mirror reported.
The security forces later stormed the village of Karrana north of the country and arrested the cleric’s sister, according to the report.
The moves come amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent in Bahrain with rights groups repeatedly criticizing the regime for handing down long-term sentences to anti-regime protesters and activists in the country.
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.
