Clashes Erupt in Bahrain after Al-Wefaq Dissolved, Continued Attack on Sheikh Qassim

Local Editor

Clashes have broken out between Bahraini police and demonstrators following Manama's decision to dissolve the country's main Shia opposition group, the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society and to trial Sheikh Isa Qassim on charges of collecting funds illegally and money laundering.

On Sunday, police used teargas to disperse the demonstrators who were marching in the capital Manama in protest to the court's decision.

Protesters also voiced their support for top Shia scholar Sheikh Isa Qassim, who was stripped of his citizenship in line with Bahrain's continued crackdown on dissent.

Earlier, Bahrain's so-called administrative court ordered the dissolution of al-Wefaq and the seizure of its funds after the Bahraini Justice Ministry had suspended the opposition group's activities on June 14.

Less than a month ago, authorities in Manama revoked the nationality of Sheikh Qassim, accusing him of seeking the "creation of a sectarian environment" through his connections with foreign powers.

In a related notion, a Bahraini public prosecutor said on Saturday that Sheikh Qassim will go on trial next month on charges of collecting funds illegally and money laundering.

Though, the head of public prosecution, Ahmed al-Dosari, did not identify Qassim by name. He said in a statement posted on Instagram that the case would be heard at the beginning of August but gave no precise date.

It was not immediately possible to contact Qassim for a comment.

Bahraini media last month reported an investigation was underway into a bank account of some $10 million in Qassim's name to find the source of the funds and how they were being spent.

The move sparked a strongly worded statement from senior Shi'ite clerics, including Qassim, against any attempt to meddle with the collection of a Muslim tax called Khums, which is a pillar of Shi'ite Islam.

The case revived fears of fresh protests in Bahrain, where the Shi'ite Muslim majority complains of discrimination and demands a bigger share in running the country.

Furthermore, the United States and the United Nations have criticized the move, seen by local activists as part of a wider crackdown on dissent in the Western-allied kingdom, which has provoked a daily vigil outside Qassim's house that on some days swells to several thousand people.

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

The Al Khalifah regime is engaged in a harsh crackdown on dissent and widespread discrimination against the country's Shia majority. Scores of people have been killed and hundreds of others injured or arrested in the tiny Persian Gulf state.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team