SRW condemns arrest of scores of Shia mourners in Malaysia

The International Organization for Shia Rights Watch denounced in the strongest terms the arrest of Iraqi Shia students, for sectarian reasons, by Malaysian authorities and expressed their strong condemnation for this blatant violation.

The International Organization for Shia Rights Watch denounced in the strongest terms the arrest of Iraqi Shia students, for sectarian reasons, by Malaysian authorities and expressed their strong condemnation for this blatant violation.

“The authorities in Malaysia have attacked a Husseini mourning ceremony established by the Iraqi community in the state of Selangor and arrested some 200 Iraqis, including children and women,” the organization said in a statement.

The statement added “This grave violation of human rights and religious freedoms constitutes a blatant incitement to hatred against Shias and a consistent move with hostile extremist Takfiri ideas”

The organization called on the Malaysian authorities to immediately release the families it is holding and to provide an appropriate apology, stressing at the same time the necessity of Iraqi diplomacy to intervene in this matter and take suitable measures.