The remarks by the prominent Bahraini cleric came during Friday prayer sermons in the al-Deraz region, where he added, “We love our country and with for its development, but when the ruling Al Khalifa regime violates people’s rights, its legal system issues oppressive rulings for detainees and the regime’s mercenaries kill the young and old, the selection of Bahrain as the headquarters of the Arab human rights court is an inhumane act that amounts to a cover-up of the regime’s offenses and crimes.”

Sheikh Qassim further asked, “Isn’t the selection of Bahrain as the headquarters of the Arab human rights court a cover for the regime’s offenses and crimes? Can the Bahraini regime, which is the graveyard of human rights, serve as the flag-bearer of justice and human rights?”

He went on to also slam the negotiations, known as the national reconciliation talks, as “futile and worthless,” saying that the kind of talks that is merely “used for media consumption, public opinion deception and waste of time is worthless.”

He further noted negotiations that do not address people’s demands is futile and cannot solve any of Bahrain’s problems.

Qassim added, talks must be serious, realistic and geared toward producing results and actual reforms to resolve Bahraini issues.

The development came just days after US-based rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) strongly condemned the Bahraini regime's justice system as "criminal," insisting that the courts under the despotic regime sentense peaceful demonstrators to long prison terms while ignoring severe abuses against protesters by regime forces.

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