Bahrainis Stage Massive Rally in Support of Sheikh Qassim (+Photos)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Dozens of Bahraini people on Sunday poured into the streets in Diraz, west of Manama, near the house of Sheikh Isa Qassim, the spiritual leader of the Shiite majority, to voice their support for the prominent cleric, local reports said.
They staged the massive demonstration in solidarity with Sheikh Qassim as the Al Khalifa regime decided to delay declaring a court ruling issued against the cleric until May 21.
The demonstrators reiterated their unwavering resolve to protect Sheikh Qassim from Manama regime’s security forces.
The massive rally came as a Bahraini court that had planned to declare the ruling against Sheikh Qassim said it will be announced on May 21.
In March, the Bahraini court delayed the verdict in the case of Sheikh Qassim. The court had earlier set March 14 as the date to issue its ruling but adjourned its decision until May 7.
The Manama regime announced on June 20, 2016, that the citizenship of Sheikh Qassim had been revoked, accusing him of sowing sectarian divisions.
The regime later said it would put the senior cleric on trial on charges of “illegal fund collections, money laundering and helping terrorism.”
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.
