Bahraini religious scholar’s continued detention political revenge: Wefaq

Bahrain’s main Shia Muslim opposition group, the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, has denounced the continued imprisonment of its prominent leader and former lawmaker Sheikh Hassan Issa as “political revenge.”

According to Press TV, al-Wefaq, in a statement released on Saturday, demanded Sheikh Issa’s immediate release, noting the cleric’s detention was in line with the Manama regime’s revenge against opponent political, intellectual and social figures in the kingdom. It also stressed that such a practice was against law.

Al-Wefaq added that Sheikh Issa was one of the most prominent advocates of peace in Bahrain, and that the continued imprisonment of such a popular personality attested to the failure of Aal-e Khalifah regime’s policies.

“This will further wreck the political prospect in Bahrain, and fairly reveals the extent of division between people and officials. Sheikh Issa’s arrest points to the continuation of the policy of political revenge against dissidents. Rulings are being passed daily in Bahrain in the worst forms of injustice. They are politically-motivated and will not be able to stop the legitimate popular uprising,” the statement underlined.

On March 29, 2017, a Bahrain court sentenced Sheikh Issa to 10 years in prison.

SS