Supporters say a prominent Shiite cleric who lost his citizenship and remains under house arrest in Bahrain has returned home after undergoing surgery. Sheikh Isa Qassim returned to his home in Diraz on Sunday. Sheikh Maytham al-Salman, of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, said Qassim may need further surgeries. The cleric could be deported at any time after authorities stripped his citizenship in June 2016 over accusations that he fueled extremism and laundered money. Bahrain's Sunni rulers are cracking down on all dissent on the Shiite-majority island, imprisoning or forcing politicians and activists into exile.

Source: ABC News December 10, 2017 08:03 UTC