Rights groups condemn Bahrain's largest mass trial of Shia clerics in history

Rights organizations have harshly criticized Bahrain's largest mass trial of Shia clerics in the nation's history. Sixty clerics face incarceration after interrogations alleged to involve torture and false confessions. Offshore, a Bahraini court is scheduled to render judgments to 69 defendants, including the 60 clerics, on charges of belonging to a terrorist organization, attempting to overthrow the constitutional regime, and promoting Iran's political ideology.

Testimony obtained by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy revealed the defendants endured various abuses, including forced standing, prolonged blindfolding, handcuffing, sleep deprivation, and threats of violence. Sheikh Mohammed Saeed Al-Taitoon, a 62-year-old cleric, recounted being blindfolded and restrained for a week, forced to stand despite severe urinary issues, and denied necessary medical care.

Another cleric, Sayed Moosa Jawad Alwedaie, 57, alleged physical abuse, electric torture, and being left naked. Twenty rights groups, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, urged the authorities to release those arbitrarily detained, dismiss charges based on peaceful religious activities, and investigate allegations of mistreatment and torture.

Tensions between Iran and Bahrain have escalated since their crackdown on a pro-democracy movement in 2011. The Sunni monarchy often accuses Shia religious leaders of ties to Iran. The US-Israel war on Iran led to retaliatory attacks on US-allied Gulf states, including Bahrain, prompting a further clampdown on those suspected of links to Iran.