SHAFAQNA – A leading Bahraini Shiite cleric called on Manama to lift the house arrest on Bahrain’s highest religious authority, Ayatollah Isa Qassim, and allow him to receive desperately needed medical care.
The 80-year old cleric was diagnosed with a hernia on Sunday after months of living under siege in Bahrain’s northwestern village of Diraz.
According to Sheikh Salman, the ailing cleric has been suffering from chronic illnesses for the past 18 months and now weighs no more than 40 kilograms.
Sheikh Salman accused Manama of ‘slowing killing’ Ayatollah Qassim, adding that ongoing delays in his treatment are shortening his life.