Bahrain’s top Shia cleric, Sheikh Isa Qassim, whose citizenship was revoked last month, is said to have gone to trial at Bahrain’s Supreme Criminal Court.
The move has been strongly slammed by the country’s clerics as invalid, illegal and unconstitutional. Sheikh Qassim’s citizenship has been stripped over allegations of using his position to "serve foreign interests" and promote "sectarianism and violence".
In a statement in June, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned Bahrain’s move in stripping the leading Shia spiritual leader of his Bahraini nationality, stressing that such moves eliminate any hope for reform through dialogue and peaceful means.
MS