News / Middle East

Bahrain Police Fire Tear Gas, Stun Grenades at Protesters

Riot police chase Bahraini anti-government protesters in the Shiite Muslim village of Sitra, Bahrain, January 1, 2012.
Riot police chase Bahraini anti-government protesters in the Shiite Muslim village of Sitra, Bahrain, January 1, 2012.
TEXT SIZE - +

Witnesses say riot police in Sunni-ruled Bahrain fired tear gas and stun grenades as they clashed Sunday with hundreds of Shi'ite opposition supporters after the funeral for a 15-year-old protester killed a day earlier.

Thousands of chanting demonstrators, some carrying Bahraini flags, converged Sunday on the island of Sitra, south of Manama, to mourn the death of the youth.  

The opposition claims the teenager was hit by a tear gas cannister at close range.  But authorities later raised questions about the circumstances of the death and said it would be investigated.

Bahraini security forces faced off against protesters through much of 2011 in a series of confrontations. Analysts say the protesters have drawn inspiration from the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. At least 35 people were killed in the Bahraini unrest during 2011, including police.

The head of a special commission probing the violence said in November that the government used excessive force, including the torture of detainees, at the height of its crackdown in March 2011.

But the report concluded there was no evidence that Gulf-area troops committed human rights abuses, after Bahrain called in Saudi troops in March to help crush the protests.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

Join the conversation on our social journalism site - Middle East Voices. Follow our Middle East reports on Twitter and discuss them on our Facebook page.

You May Like

Burmese President Opens US Visit with VOA Town Hall Meeting

Ahead of his meeting with President Obama Monday, Thien Sein answered questions on human rights and economic development in his country More

Video Washington Week: Focus on Burma, US Government Scandals

President Thein Sein visits the White House on Monday, Congressional probes of multiple scandals are continuing More

Indian Cinema on Mission to Dispel Bollywood Image

The largest Indian contingent to date is on the French Riviera at the Cannes film festival More

This forum has been closed.
Comments
     
There are no comments in this forum. Be first and add one