On Tuesday May 23, Bahraini police forces attacked peaceful protesters during a sit-in demonstration in front of prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Issa Qassim’s house in Diraz. During the violent raid, police killed at least 5 activists and arrested 286. The sit-in in the village of Diraz, near the capital Manama, was supported by followers of the Shiite spiritual leader Sheikh Issa Qassem, whose citizenship was revoked in late June following the cleric’s rightful comments against the government’s policy and ill-treatment of human rights.

The security forces used pepper bombs and shot at protesters. Dozens of Shiites, including many opponents, have been sentenced in recent years to heavy prison sentences for violence that accompanied the protest movement in Bahrain.

Amnesty International reported for example that a dead activist, Mohamed, 39yo, has been shot in the head, the security forces also injured and arrested several hundred people.

On Sunday, the King of Bahrain held a meeting in Ryad with Mr. Trump, visiting Saudi Arabia. The US president avoided discussing human rights violations in Bahrain. On this occasion, president Trump gave to King Hamad the permission to pursue the repression of Shiite people, resulting in Tuesday’s violent and lethal crackdown on activists. In reaction, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif, replied that the first concrete result of Donald Trump's talks in Ryad is the Bahraini repression against peaceful protesters and crackdown on civil society.

This is not the first time Bahrain violated international human rights standards. As a matter of fact, not long ago the government executed 3 people ignoring moratorium on death penalty. Further, human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, arrested for tweeting against the government’s policy and human rights violations, has not yet been released and is in critical health conditions following torture and ill-treatment while being held in prison.

Bahrain is still running as biggest human rights violators as it has been revoking citizenships preventing human rights defenders to travel and speak about the atrocities innocents are facing in the country, arresting human rights defenders for freely expressing their opinion and targeting religious minorities.

ICSFT calls for an independent inquiry into the use of force against peaceful demonstrators and the total abolition of the violation of human rights in Bahrain. We urge the government to end persecution of human rights defenders and crackdowns on civil society. ICSFT also condemns in the strongest terms US arms deals with Gulf States and urges the Gulf States governments to stop the violence against Shiite people.