Continued Reactions to the Revocation of Citizenship of Bahrain's Shia Leader

Ali Akbar Velayati, Secretary-General of the World Assembly for Islamic Awakening and advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, issued a statement warning the Bahraini government about the consequences of revoking Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim's citizenship. Velayati stated, "The Al Khalifa regime and its regional and extra-regional supporters must understand that one can never stand against the will of a nation," adding that this policy will be "destructive for the puppet and reactionary rulers." According to Mehr News Agency, Hassan Firouzabadi, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, also condemned the revocation of Sheikh Isa Qassim's citizenship, stating that the policies of the Bahraini rulers are supported by Saudi Arabia. On Tuesday, June 31, the official Bahraini news agency announced that the Ministry of Interior had revoked Sheikh Isa Qassim's citizenship. Sheikh Isa Qassim is the spiritual leader of Al-Wefaq, the main opposition party in Bahrain. According to the United Nations, since June 2014, the Bahraini government has revoked the citizenship of at least 250 of its citizens on charges of acting against national security. The Bahraini government has accused Sheikh Isa Qassim of "encouraging sectarianism and violence." This news has prompted reactions from Bahraini Shia, Iran, and several global powers and international organizations. A group of Sheikh Isa Qassim's supporters, dressed in shrouds, gathered around his house. The United States and France have expressed concern over the Bahraini government's action. The United Nations also expressed concern over recent developments, lamenting that Bahrain has chosen to restrict political and civil freedoms instead of listening to the independent inquiry commission established by the government in 2011. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch condemned the Bahraini government's action, reminding that Article 29 of the Arab Charter on Human Rights, which Bahrain has signed, states that "everyone has the right to nationality and no citizen should be deprived of their nationality without valid legal reasons." In an unprecedented move, Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also issued a strongly worded statement warning the Bahraini government about the revocation of the citizenship of the Shia leader of that country. Bahrain has repeatedly stated that the IRGC interferes in the island and has tried dozens of people on charges of collaborating with the IRGC; Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of Iran, has denied this accusation.