Alwaght- Thousands of Bahraini citizens keep on their open-ended rally in Diraz in front of Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim's house for the eighth consecutive day, after al-Khalifa regime striped the spiritual leader of their revolution.


According to Bahrain Mirror, Protestors call on the monarchy to restore the nationality of Sheikh Isa Qassim that was revoked by a decree from the Cabinet on Monday (June 20, 2016), calling on to put an end to Al Khalifa monopoly over power and halt discrimination against Shiites majority.


Activists said that the authorities continued to besiege Diraz, preventing hundreds from entering claiming that they do not reside in the village. However, thousands could stage protest despite the security restrictions.






Increasing crackdown on Bahraini dissent, the western-backed Al Khalifa regime will take Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab to court for tweets he allegedly made about the tiny Persian Gulf's prison system and the Arab state's involvement in the aggression against Yemen.


Al Khalifa detained the prominent Bahraini opposition figure earlier this month on unspecified charges.


The case appears to relate to tweets he is alleged by the authorities to have made last year in which he suggested security forces had tortured detainees in a main prison and on a military campaign in Yemen by a Saudi-led coalition which also includes Bahrain.


Nabeel Rajab has repeatedly been apprehended since 2011 pro-democracy uprising tah were repressed with help by Saudi Arabia and UAE security forces.




Human rights activists, Zainab al-Khawaja and Nabeel Rajab (L) talk during their meeting with activists



Meanwhile, Bahrain's state-run news agency said a court has stripped five more Bahraini citizens from their citizenship and ordered them jailed after convicting them on terrorism charges.


The Bahrain News Agency reported Monday that two unnamed defendants were sentenced to three and ten years over activities related to involvement in the Al-Wafa'a Islamic Party, which has called for the downfall of Bahrain's Sunni monarchy. Three others were sentenced to 15 years for their involvement in another group known as the Mukhtar Brigades.


In a similar crackdown, Bahrain's Ministry of Interior said that it arrested a number of citizens for posting "instigative materials on social media".


The General Director of Anti-corruption and Economic and Electronic Security announced in a statement on Monday (June 27, 2016) "the arrest of a number of individuals for misusing social media to post calls of incitement, including violations that are penalized by law."


The ministry did not announce the names of the arrested, however, activists referred to the citizen Taiba Ismail who was arrested after raiding her house and confiscating her electronic devices.


Activists stressed that "Isamil was arrested over charges related to freedom of expression and she was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department".


Director of Anti-Corruption and Economic and Electronic Security said that the directorate monitored several accounts that posted messages of incitement and called for the abuse of others.


An investigation was launched and those involved were arrested after a warrant was issued by the Public Prosecution. He added "Legal proceedings are being taken to refer the case to the Public Prosecution."


"Legal steps will be taken against anyone who posts calls of incitement on social media or via other means," he further stated.


These are merely the latest examples of a crackdown on peaceful dissent. On June 14th the Al Khalifa regime banned the biggest opposition group, al-Wefaq, having extended the prison term of its leader, Sheikh Ali Salman, from four years to nine. Another prominent dissident, Zainab al-Khawaja, fled the country in early June after being told that she would be rearrested.


Human rights organizations challenge the charges raised against political detainees, since they doubt the independence of the judiciary, whose members are assigned by royal decrees, and since it issues sentences based on confessions extracted under duress and evidence presented by secret investigations and anonymous witnesses.


By Al Waght