Bahrain’s Scholars has issued a statement condemning the detention of Shia religious scholars in Bahrain, holding the country's authorities fully responsible for their safety and calling for their immediate and unconditional release.
The statement confirms that the recent arrests are part of a broader campaign targeting Bahrain's Shia religious establishment and seeking to weaken the role of religious leadership.
It states that numerous scholars have been detained on what it describes as fabricated charges lacking factual or legal basis.
According to the statement, the detainees have been subjected to physical and psychological abuse while in custody.
It further affirms that they were forced to sign confessions and official statements without being permitted to review their contents, describing these practices as violations of fundamental principles of justice and internationally recognized human rights.
The statement also states that the detained scholars were threatened with the revocation of their citizenship, denied access to legal representation and family visits, and subjected to insults directed at their religion and religious denomination.
"The matter has gone beyond arbitrary detention," the statement maintains, affirming that the scholars had been exposed to "various forms of physical and psychological torture" and coerced into signing documents "without being allowed to review their contents."
Describing religious scholars as the custodians of faith and guardians of Islamic scholarship, the statement stresses that their role in preserving the community's religious identity cannot be diminished through imprisonment or intimidation.
"The issue of the scholars can never be forgotten," the statement maintains, adding that attempts to silence religious authorities would not weaken public attachment to them.
In a series of demands, the group condemns the campaign targeting Bahrain's Shia community and its religious leaders, calling for the immediate release of all detained scholars, the dismissal of all charges against them, and an end to what it alleged were acts of torture, abuse, and mistreatment.
The statement further declares that it holds the Bahraini authorities "fully responsible for the safety and well-being of the detained scholars and for any physical or psychological harm that may result from their arbitrary detention."
It also asserts that targeting religious scholars would only reinforce believers' commitment to their faith, stating that "religious knowledge and jurisprudence cannot be imprisoned or silenced through intimidation."
The statement concludes by invoking a saying attributed to Imam Hussein, describing it as a source of inspiration for steadfastness in the face of injustice, before ending with a traditional Islamic supplication.
