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Al-Ahed Telegram

Bahrain Crackdown: More Anti-regime Rallies Nationwide after Diraz Massacre

Bahrain Crackdown: More Anti-regime Rallies Nationwide after Diraz Massacre
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Local Editor

People in Bahrain held more rallies nationwide in protest at the Manama regime's recent bloodshed in the besieged village of Diraz, the hometown to Bahrain's Shia majority's spiritual leader, His Eminence Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim.

Bahrain Crackdown: More Anti-regime Rallies Nationwide after Diraz Massacre

On Thursday evening, protesters took to the streets in several areas to condemn the Bahraini military's Tuesday raid on Diraz, which killed 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 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 Al 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. His Eminence 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.

This is while Saudi Arabia, which has been helping the Bahraini military in its crackdown on peaceful protests since 2011, has defended Manama's brutalities in Diraz.

Home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, Bahrain has carried out a crackdown on opposition political activity and dissent since an uprising began in 2011 against the ruling Al Khalifah regime by demonstrators from the Shia Muslim majority.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

 

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