TEHRAN - The Society of Qom Seminary Teachers held a ceremony on Saturday to honor Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, a leading pro-democracy Bahraini cleric.

Sheikh Isa Qassim, 82, is considered an icon of democracy for defending the rights of the Bahraini people.

Manama revoked his citizenship in June 2016, prompting protests and sit-ins in his hometown of Diraz.

Bahraini authorities later dissolved the Islamic Enlightenment Institution, founded by him, in addition to the opposition al-Risala Islamic Association.

NA/PA