Alwaght- A Bahraini court upheld on Monday a prison sentence for the spiritual leader of Bahraini Shiite majority, Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, and confirmed a decision to revoke his citizenship.
On Tuesday, Al Khalifa regime security forces were heavily stationed at the house of Sheikh Qassim, said activists on social media.
The activists explained that the purpose of the heavy security presence was to inform Ayatollah Qassim about the verdict issued against him by the Court of Cassation, which upheld a suspended one-year prison sentence. The sentence was handed down to the Sheikh and the head of his office Sheikh Hussein Al-Mahrous and Mirza Al-Darazi.
According to the rights activists, the security forces did the same at Sheikh Qassim's office member, Haj Mirza Al-Darazi, who was handed the final verdict in the case.
In June 2016, Bahraini authorities revoked the nationalities of Ayatollah Qassim, and later referred him to trial along with Al-Mahrous and Al-Darazi, for practicing the Shia obligatory Khoms (alms) religious ritual, which the authorities considered to be an act of "collecting funds without authorization".
Ayatollah Qassim boycotted the court and refused to appoint an attorney, as did Mirza Al-Darazi.
Thousands of anti-regime protesters have held demonstrations in Bahrain on an almost daily basis ever since a popular uprising began in the country in mid-February 2011.
They are demanding that the US-backed Al Khalifah dynasty relinquishes power and pave way for a just democratic system in the country.
The Manama regime has gone to great lengths to clamp down on any sign of dissent. On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to assist Bahrain in its crackdown.
