Hawzah News Agency-The United Nations human rights office slammed the Bahraini regime's decision to revoke the nationality of a leading Shia Cleric, Shaykh Isa Qasim.

Bahrain's decision to revoke the citizenship of the spiritual leader of the kingdom's Shi'ite Muslim majority is "clearly unjustified" under international law, a spokeswoman for the UN human rights office said on Tuesday.

"Given that due process was not followed, it cannot be justified," Ravina Shamdasani told a UN briefing in Geneva, Reuters news agency reported.

"It is clearly unjustified."

Manama stripped Shaykh Qasim of his citizenship , accusing him of sowing "sectarianism and violence."

Angered protesters across the Persian Gulf Kingdom took to streets, expressing solidarity with Shaykh Qasim.

The move follows the suspension of Bahrain's main opposition group, al-Wefaq, whose political chief Shaykh Ali Salman is serving a nine-year jail term on charges of inciting violence.