Bahrainis hold more anti-regime rallies nationwide

People in Bahrain hold more rallies nationwide in protest at the Manama regime’s recent bloodshed in the besieged village of Diraz, which is home to the spiritual Leader of the country’s Shia majority, Sheikh Isa Qassim.

According to Press TV, on Thursday evening, protesters took to the streets in several areas to condemn the Bahraini military’s Tuesday raid on Diraz, which martyred five supporters of Sheikh Qassim.

The gatherings, however, turned violent when regime forces intervened and attempted to disperse the demonstrators. Nine arrests were made during the skirmishes.

On May 23, Bahraini forces raided Diraz, which has been under a military siege for almost a year, and stormed into the home of Sheikh Qassim.

During the raid, regime forces martyred at least five demonstrators, wounded dozens and arrested over 280 people during the crackdown on Diraz, which took place shortly after a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Ale Khalifah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The fresh wave of anti-regime protests broke out on May 21, when a Bahraini court convicted Sheikh Qassim of illegal collection of funds and money laundering. The cleric was sentenced to one year in jail and ordered to pay $265,266 in fines.

Last year, the cleric was also stripped of his citizenship, sparking repeated sit-ins outside his residence in Diraz.

On Wednesday, the Bahraini Interior Ministry warned the protesters against holding more rallies, but the stern warning has failed to end anti-government marches across the kingdom.

The deadly Diraz raid has drawn angry reactions from prominent human rights groups, with Amnesty International calling for an independent investigation into Manama’s use of “excessive force.”

New York-based Human Rights First also urged the Trump administration to condemn the Bahraini military for the “deadly disturbing” raid on Diraz.

ME