ABNA24 - Bahrain’s prominent Shia leader Sheikh Isa Qassim has called on the nation to stand firmly behind religious scholars facing unjust trials, warning against any harm inflicted on the clerics through fabricated accusations and persecution.
In a statement on Friday, Qassem urged all Bahrainis to support the religious scholars due to face trial on November 8, stressing that standing by them was both a national and moral duty.
“The entire nation stands with the scholars; it is the duty of the entire nation, yes, every single individual, to stand alongside the religious scholars,” he said.
He emphasized that the public owed the scholars the same loyalty they had shown the people.
The Shia leader said the November 8 proceedings would represent an opportunity for the Bahraini government to demonstrate its commitment to justice by recognizing the scholars' standing and their contributions to the country and society.
Such an approach, he said, would mean honoring their role in serving the homeland, their continuous efforts to promote goodness, security and stability, and their commitment to preserving human dignity and fundamental values.
However, Shiekh Qassim warned that if the government continued to deviate from justice and relied on fabricated and defamatory accusations, the consequences could be grave.
He outlined two essential responsibilities for the public. The first was to pursue sustained and tireless efforts through every available lawful and reasonable means to protect the scholars' health, dignity, honor, active role and elevated standing.
The second, he stressed, was to maintain a peaceful approach, which he said had always characterized the scholars' conduct and had never been abandoned.
Sheikh Qassim's statement came amid growing public protests across Bahrain against the continued detention of Shia scholars and young people.
Demonstrators have taken to streets in several areas to denounce a new wave of arbitrary arrests and intensified security measures targeting the country's Shia community.
The protests come ahead of what rights organizations have described as the largest mass trial of Shia clerics in Bahrain's history. A court is scheduled to deliver judgments on Sunday against 69 defendants, including 60 religious scholars.
The defendants face unsubstantiated charges including membership in a terrorist organization, attempting to overthrow the constitutional system and promoting Iran.
Rights groups have raised serious concerns over amid reports that show defendants were subjected to torture and coercion to obtain confessions.
Testimonies documented by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) describe forced standing, prolonged blindfolding and handcuffing, sleep deprivation and threats of physical and sexual violence against defendants and their families.
Twenty human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, have called on Bahraini authorities to release those arbitrarily detained, drop charges related to peaceful religious activities and investigate allegations of torture and mistreatment.
Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, BIRD's advocacy director, described the proceedings as an attack on the religious identity of Bahrain's Shia community.
"When allegations of torture are brushed aside and defendants are denied a meaningful opportunity to challenge the evidence against them, the judiciary becomes an instrument of persecution," he said.
He also called the proceedings a "mockery of justice" that must end, warning that they would deepen divisions in the country.
Bahrain's authorities have repeatedly faced international criticism over their treatment of Shia religious figures and activists, particularly since the crackdown on the country's pro-democracy movement in 2011.
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