News / Interviews

West support emboldens Bahrain to violate cleric’s right: Pundit

Saturday, 25 June 2016 10:04 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 29 June 2016 3:59 PM ]

Bahraini protestors hold a placard bearing the portrait of top Bahraini Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim, during a protest against the revocation of Qassim's citizenship near his house in the village of Diraz, west of Manama, on June 20, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

Some Western governments are the only problem in the way of putting pressure on the Al Khalifa regime to stop the crackdown on the Bahraini opposition, former Bahraini legislator Jalal Fairooz said in an interview with Press TV on Saturday.

Certain Western authorities are supporting the Bahraini monarchy because of “Saudi Arabia’s petro-dollars,” Fairooz noted, adding that the Al Khalifa regime is seeing that the international community kept a close eye on its crackdown; therefore, it proceeds to revoke the citizenship of Sheikh Isa Qassim, who is a well-known cleric at international level.

The former lawmaker expressed hope the international community would play a role to stop the crackdown and bloodshed in the tiny Persian Gulf country.

The Al Khalifah regime decided on June 20 to strip prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim of his citizenship, despite his call for non-violent reforms in Bahrain. The move came less than a week after Bahrain's Justice Ministry suspended the country's main Shia opposition block ,al-Wefaq, and dissolved opposition Islamic Enlightenment Institution and al-Risala Islamic Association.

The former legislator also expressed concern about the fate of hundreds of protesters who are holding sit-ins outside the house of Sheikh Isa in the northwestern village of Diraz, situated about 12 milometers (seven miles) west of the capital Manama.

Sheikh Isa's citizenship revocation comes after the jail term handed down to the leader of al-Wefaq, SHeikh Ali Salm, was more than doubled by a Bahraini court.

Bahrain's opposition groups are calling for reforms in the country.

Since February 14, 2011, thousands of anti-regime protesters have held numerous demonstrations on an almost daily basis in Bahrain, calling for the Al Khalifah family to relinquish power.

In March that year, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to the country to assist the Bahraini government in its crackdown on peaceful protests.

Scores of people have been killed and hundreds of others injured or arrested in the Bahraini crackdown on the anti-regime activists.

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