" Over 340 Bahraini religious scholars persecuted by Manama"

Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society articulated its rejection of policies driven by persecution and discrimination after revealing that more than 340 Bahraini religious scholars fell victim to Manama's clampdown on dissent.

Hawzah News Agency (Manama, Bahrain) – According to an Al-Wefaq statement, the kingdom's Shia clerics are being subjected to arbitrary arrests, torture, harsh verdicts including the death penalty and citizenship revocations.

Among those to be stripped of his nationality is Bahrain's highest religious authority Sheikh Isa Qassim.

The vast majority of senior religious figures being targeted by Manama's security forces are often prosecuted for their political views and their sermons.

Al-Wefaq's own Secretary General Sheikh Ali Salman faces the death penalty in an espionage trial in addition to his existing years-long prison sentence.