Iranian MPs Reiterate Support for Bahrain’s Sheikh Qassim
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian lawmakers, in a statement on Wednesday, voiced their support for Sheikh Isa Qassim, the spiritual leader of Bahrain’s Shiite majority, a verdict against whom by an Al Khalifa regime court on baseless charges has been issued but not announced yet.
In the statement read in an open session of the parliament on Wednesday, the Iranian legislators denounced the Al Khalifa regime’s “unfair” trial of Sheikh Qassim.
“Undoubtedly, the trial of the pious cleric is not (just) trying an individual but it is tantamount to trying and sacrificing a nation’s freedom,” the MPs said.
The lawmakers further warned the Saudi and Bahraini regimes of the repercussions of the move against Sheikh Qassim, saying the dangerous measure would hurt the feelings of Muslims around the world.
The statement came as a Bahraini court that had planned to declare its ruling against Sheikh Qassim on Sunday said it will be announced on May 21.
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The Manama regime announced on June 20, 2016, that the citizenship of Sheikh Qassim had been revoked, accusing him of sowing sectarian divisions.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.
