Bahrain to sentence 69 clerics in mass trial
Rights groups allege that 60 Shia leaders were forced to confess through abuse, including blindfolding and electric shocks.
By Julia Wang ·
Bahraini judges are set to deliver verdicts on Sunday to 69 defendants in what rights groups describe as the largest mass trial of Shia clerics in the kingdom's history. The group includes 60 clerics charged with joining a terrorist group, attempting to overthrow the constitutional regime, and promoting Iranian political ideology. The proceedings follow a wave of arrests tied to heightened security concerns after recent regional conflicts.
The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, or Bird, released testimony claiming the defendants endured severe physical and psychological pressure during their detention. According to the organization, investigators subjected the men to forced standing, prolonged blindfolding, and handcuffing. Sleep deprivation and threats of physical or sexual violence against the men and their families were also reported. Authorities further threatened to strip the defendants of their citizenship and deport them.
Specific accounts detail the intensity of the treatment. Sheikh Mohammed Saeed Al-Taitoon, 62, told investigators he was blindfolded and restrained for one week. He stated that he was forced to stand while suffering from urinary bleeding and kidney stones, and that he was denied necessary surgery. Sayed Moosa Jawad Alwedaie, 57, reported that he was beaten, tortured with electricity, and left naked during his interrogation.
Twenty rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have called on the Bahraini government to release arbitrarily detained individuals and drop charges based on peaceful religious activities. The groups also demanded a formal investigation into the allegations of mistreatment. They urged authorities to stop treating the judiciary as a tool for political persecution.
The trial comes against a backdrop of long-standing tension between the Sunni monarchy and the Shia majority. Since the 2011 pro-democracy protests, the government has frequently targeted religious leaders, often citing links to Iran. The recent US and Israel war on Iran triggered retaliatory strikes by Tehran on Gulf states, including Bahrain. This conflict intensified the crackdown on those with suspected Iranian ties.
Tariq Al Hassan, head of Bahrain's internal security agency, told Reuters on Friday that the actions aim to confront an ideology that demands obedience to Iran over Bahrain's sovereignty. He noted that 69 Bahraini citizens of Iranian heritage had already had their citizenship stripped. Critics counter that the measures serve to suppress domestic dissent.
Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, advocacy director at Bird, called the trial an attack on the faith and identity of the Shia community. He described it as one of the ugliest forms of persecution since 2011. In a statement, he warned that when torture allegations are ignored and defendants cannot challenge evidence, the judiciary becomes an instrument of persecution.
