People have staged fresh rallies�in Bahrain to protest stepped-up�crackdown on Shia processions commemorating the�martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (Peace Be Upon Him).

Protesters�took to the streets in the town of A'ali southeast of the capital�Manama�on Wednesday evening to�condemn new�heavy-handed measures.

Muslims in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Lebanon and many other countries have been�taking part in mourning ceremonies since the beginning of�Muharram, the first month in the Islamic lunar calendar.

The first ten days of Muharram mark the martyrdom of�the third Shia Imam and the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in�680 AD in a battle with the tyrant of the time.

The�historic event's message of resistance and rising up against tyranny has been key to the evolution of a culture which rejects abjection at any rate.

Bahrainis�on Wednesday night�chanted slogans and denounced the�Manama regime's disruption of mourning ceremonies and removing banners and flags about Ashura which marks the 10th day of Muharram.

Participants in the rally also�held pictures of distinguished opposition figures, including Sheikh Ali Salman and Sheikh Isa Qassim. They pledged�to press ahead with their resistance campaign against the Al Khalifah regime.

Protests have intensified in Bahrain since�October when the supreme court of appeal�rejected a request to release Sheikh Salman, who is serving a nine-year prison sentence. The 50-year-old clergyman faces a new date on�October 17 to have his case re-examined.

The tiny Persian Gulf is in fresh turmoil after�Bahraini authorities decided to�strip the�country�s most prominent Shia Muslim cleric, Sheikh Qassim, of his citizenship in�June.

They also�dissolved the main opposition bloc al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, al-Risala Islamic Association�as well as the Islamic Enlightenment Institution, founded by Sheikh Qassim.

Protest rallies�in Bahrain have continued�on an almost daily basis ever since a popular uprising started in the kingdom in�2011. The protesters are demanding that the�Al Khalifah�dynasty�relinquish power.

Scores of people have been killed and hundreds of others injured in a harsh crackdown which is backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

By Press TV