Bahraini parties say religious freedom infringed
13 hours ago
MANAMA (AFP) — Political parties in Bahrain accused the interior ministry on Sunday of infringing religious freedoms after it prevented a Shiite cleric from speaking at a mosque.
The five political parties, two of them Shiite, issued a statement condemning interior ministry intervention in matters of prayer and sermons, after officials prevented Hassan Mesheima from giving a speech in a mosque on Friday.
Bahraini parties say religious freedom infringed
13 hours ago
MANAMA (AFP) — Political parties in Bahrain accused the interior ministry on Sunday of infringing religious freedoms after it prevented a Shiite cleric from speaking at a mosque.
The five political parties, two of them Shiite, issued a statement condemning interior ministry intervention in matters of prayer and sermons, after officials prevented Hassan Mesheima from giving a speech in a mosque on Friday.
Mesheima, secretary general of the majority-Shiite Freedoms and Democracy Movement party, is known for his critical views of the state.
“The political parties announce they reject the interventions of the interior ministry in religious freedoms and sacred rituals, which are profound rights protected by the constitution,” the statement said.
“We vehemently object that any citizen, notably activists and national figures, should be prevented from expressing their views,” the statement said.
In July, 11 Shiite opposition activists were sentenced to jail terms of between one and seven years for clashes last December in the Sunni-ruled state between police and protesters.
The clashes followed the death of a demonstrator at an opposition rally to demand compensation for victims of alleged human rights violations.
The Shiite majority in Bahrain, where the US Fifth Fleet is based, has been campaigning for compensation for alleged human rights violations in the 1980s and 1990s.
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