April 15th to 22nd, 2016
Azerbaijan
In Lankaran, Azerbaijan, many Shia figureheads were arrested. Police raided the homes of clerics and activists, including Karbalayi Qismat, Syed Nazem and Seyed Waqar, taking them into custody, according to reports by the Caucasus cultural center. Shia Muslims make up 85% of the country, yet are still extremely discriminated against. During the raid, the officers have closed the entrances into Lankaran.
Bahrain
The Bahraini regime detained Shia cleric Mohammed al-Mansi, who works as a leader of the Islamic Clerics council. The regime used the excuse that he held prayers without the permission of the Al Khalifa regime in order to arrest him. The cleric has been known for speaking out against the destruction of 43 Shia mosques by the Manama regime. Before his sentencing he was subjected to a 48 hour interrogation.
Saudi Arabia
Three men currently wait to be executed after being given the death sentence for crimes they had allegedly committed during their youth. Their confessions had been given under torture where they had been forced to sign blank papers on which their “crimes” were later written down. An official statement by the government made it sound like either one or potentially all of them would be executed soon. The men’s names are Ali al-Nimr, Dawoud al-Marhoun and Abdullah al-Zaher. Unlawful practices against them surrounding their incarceration include them not being appointed lawyers during any of the interrogations/confessions/ period following. They were put under arrest following participation in Shia protests back in 2011 and 2012. Al-Nimr was tried and sentenced invidually May 2014, while the other two were arrested the following October as part of a group. Al-Nimr and Al-Marhoun were both 17 at the time, while Al-Zaher was only 15 years old. The three men are currently being held in Dammam Mabahith Prison.
Iraq
According to the Iraq body count there were approximately 63 deaths this week caused by a combination of IEDs, gunfire, and executions. These murders occurred in many cities across the nation including but not limited to Baghdad, Karbala, Mosul, Madain, etc.
