MANAMA – Demonstrations swept through multiple Shia-majority villages across Bahrain late Sunday, demanding the release of detained clerics and condemning a mass trial that rights groups have described as the largest prosecution of Shia religious figures in the country’s history. 
The court responded by postponing its verdict to November 22, a delay opposition sources characterized as a retreat under public pressure.
Residents of Diraz, Karbabad, al-Markh, Abu Saiba, Samaheej, Karrana, al-Hajar, Abu Quwah, Shahrakan and Sitra Island held marches and rallies on Sunday night, according to reports from Bahraini opposition sources. 
Participants chanted slogans in support of the imprisoned scholars, called for the judicial proceedings to be dropped, and condemned what they described as sectarian trials targeting Bahrain’s Shia community. 
Security forces were heavily deployed in residential areas, and opposition sources reported a “heavily militarized atmosphere,” raising fears of further arrests and violent suppression. 
The demonstrations coincided with the scheduled verdict in the case of 69 defendants, including 60 Shia clerics, facing charges of membership in a terrorist group, attempting to overthrow the constitutional order, and promoting Iran’s political ideology. 
The Grand Criminal Court postponed the ruling to November 22 without issuing a decision. Families of the accused and rights activists were barred from entering the courtroom.
The trial has drawn condemnation from 20 rights organizations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. 
According to testimony documented by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, defendants were subjected to forced standing, prolonged blindfolding and handcuffing, sleep deprivation, and threats of physical and sexual violence against them and their families. 
Sheikh Muhammad Saeed al-Taitoon, a 62-year-old cleric, told investigators he was blindfolded and restrained for a week and forced to stand despite severe urinary bleeding and kidney stones. 
Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, BIRD’s advocacy director, called the proceedings “a mockery of justice” and said the judiciary had become “an instrument of persecution”.
The crackdown has unfolded against the backdrop of regional war. Since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli terrorist war on Iran, Bahraini authorities have arrested more than 700 people, including children, and revoked the citizenship of 69 individuals, 33 of them children, the youngest just 19 days old. 
At least 37 Shia clerics were arrested on May 9 alone. 
Separately, Bahrain’s Interior Ministry announced Monday that a 22-year-old woman was arrested by the Anti-Cyber Crime Directorate for posting content “deemed contrary to public decency” on social media.
The arrest followed monitoring of images and video clips showing her in what was described as immodest clothing. The case has been referred to the Public Prosecution.