Al-Wefaq described the al-Khalifa government’s revoking the nationality of a number of Bahraini citizens, including Ayatollah Nejati, as cruel and a blatant violation of the international laws, human rights and Bahrain’s constitution.

“The Al-Khalifa regime has recently revoked the nationality of 31 Bahraini citizens and this criminal act of the Manama regime was strongly condemned by the international circles,” a statement by al-Wefaq said, reminding that all the world bodies deplore the Manama moves and suppression of the people.

According to Bahrain’s Al-Wasat newspaper, the nationality of Ayatollah Al-Nejati was annulled in 2012 and he was given time to leave the country.

Following pressures from the regime some of the distinguished Bahraini scholars met Ayatollah Al-Nejati at his home in the Al-Mahrough area to announce their solidarity with him.

Ayatollah Al-Nejati is the representative of the Grand Ayatollah Sistani in Bahrain and nationalities of his wife and 3 children have also been revoked by al-Khalifeh regime.

Anti-government protesters have been holding peaceful demonstrations across Bahrain since mid-February 2011, calling for an end to the al-Khalifa dynasty.

Violence against the defenseless people escalated after a Saudi-led conglomerate of police, security and military forces from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) member states – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar – were dispatched to the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom on March 2011, to help Manama crack down on peaceful protestors.

So far, tens of protesters have been killed, hundreds have gone missing and thousands of others have been injured.