15th February 2013

BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

Protest marches, clashes expand in tense Bahrain
Thousands of antigovernment marchers jammed a major highway Friday as clashes broke out for a second day between security forces and protesters marking the anniversary of their uprising in the strategic Gulf nation. The spike in violence is likely to put pressure on Shiite opposition groups as they engage in talks to ease the crisis with Bahrain's Sunni-led government, despite objections from hard-line factions who want to topple the Western-backed monarchy. In another sign of escalating tensions, police said they found a bomb wearing 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) on the causeway connecting Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, which closely backs Bahrain's monarchy. Police said bomb disposal teams defused the device, which ofcials said contained "highly explosive material." Read More deadlock in the strategically placed Gulf Arab kingdom.

Bahrain opposition rallies amid deadly unrest

Bahrain's police red tear gas at an opposition rally Friday marking the second anniversary of a Shiite-led uprising against the kingdom's Sunni rulers, witnesses said, a day after two people died when protests turned violent. Police also used sound bombs to disperse thousands of opposition supporters who staged a

mid-afternoon demonstration on the Boudaya highway that links a string of Shiite-populated villages with the capital Manama, witnesses said. Waving national ags, protesters chanted "Down with the dictatorship!" as they were led by Sheikh Ali Salman of Al-Wefaq, who heads the main Shiite opposition group. Bahrain has seen two years of political upheaval linked to opposition demands for a constitutional monarchy. Read More Daih near the capital Manama on Saturday, ring tear gas and stun grenades to disperse dozens of people trying to push their way through. The opposition said alJaziri was killed in clashes between police and activists earlier this week. The unrest began on Friday when protesters blocked a highway linking a number of of predominantly Shia villages with Manama. Read More

Bahrain police, youths clash after funeral

Police ring tear gas clashed with hundreds of stone-throwing youths in Bahrain on Saturday in heightened unrest that could complicate new efforts to end political

The violence has clouded the atmosphere around talks begun on February 10 between the mostly Shi'ite Muslim opposition and the Sunni Muslim-dominated government to nd a way out of the impasse over Shi'ite demands for more democracy. Read More The victims name was Hussein al-Jaziri. According to opposition websites, the teenager was killed by fragmentary bullets. Overwhelmed by this death, which he had just witnessed, a protester walked up to police and screamed at them. The policemen tried to intimidate him, but seemed thrown off balance by the protesters daring. Read More

Arrests follow fresh Bahrain violence

Clashes have broken out on at the funeral of a teenager killed in demonstrations to mark the second anniversary of Bahrain's Shia-led uprising, with police ring tear gas to disperse mourners, witnesses said. The security forces blocked access to the funeral of Hussein al-Jaziri in the Shia-populated village of

The video that stunned Bahrain on its uprisings anniversary

The second anniversary of Bahrains popular uprising was marked by renewed violence, resulting in the death of a 16-year old boy. In the video, lmed right after the teenagers death, a desperate protester can be seen risking his life to stand up to the police.

Teen killed in Bahrain as protests mark anniversary of uprising

Clashes erupted in Bahrain early Thursday, leaving a teenager dead and tensions soaring as protesters marked the second anniversary of the continued uprising against the Persian Gulf monarchy.

Bahraini police said a young man was fatally injured as ofcers red birdshot to defend themselves from hundreds of what they termed rioters who attacked police with steel rods and Molotov cocktails. Police red warning shots before shooting, Public Security Chief Tariq Hassan said. Read More

Bahraini protesters block city motorway

Police used tear gas and sound bombs yesterday to disperse thousands of Bahraini opposition supporters blocking a motorway outside the capital.

It was the second day of protests marking the anniversary of the 2011 uprising, inspired by the Arab Spring. Authorities said they had launched investigations into the two deaths from Thursday's protests. Read More that links several Shi'itepopulated areas to the capital, Manama, to mark the second anniversary of an uprising against the country's Sunni rulers. The march along the main highway was largely peaceful, however breakaway groups clashed with riot police in nearby neighborhoods. Witnesses say demonstrators threw stones and police red tear gas. Read More of Daih, over half a dozen riot police were met with a volley of screams by an unidentied protester who was overwhelmed after witnessing the death of Hussein Jaziri a teenager killed by shotgun re on Thursday. The tense standoff in the predominately Shiite village outside the capital Manama seemed likely to end in violence, though the pure force of the protesters indignation reportedly had police rattled. Read More

Op-Ed: Don't forget about Bahrain

It's been two years since the largely Shiite rebellion in Bahrain was brutally and cynically crushed by the regime there. Prodemocratic elements must be supported in their brave and arduous struggle. Bahrain police have once again killed a small and innocent child. One Bahraini man deantly

stood near one of the regimes enforcement thugs and told him, "You killed a 17-year-old kid. Shoot me, I don't fear you." He was one of many thousands of the island kingdoms marginalized and trod upon Shia majority who took to the streets to protest against the sectarian ruling regime there. They were met with tear gas and stun grenades. Read More Investigation Unit, Nawaf Abdullah Hamza, was quoted as saying by the ofcial BNA news agency that separate investigations into the two deaths were progressing side by side. Police chief Tariq Hassan al-Hassan said on Thursday evening that the deceased police ofcer, Mohammed Asif, died after being fatally injured by a projectile thrown by protesters while he and fellow ofcers securing roads. Read More

Thousands of Opposition Protesters Rally in Bahrain

Thousands of opposition supporters held demonstrations in Bahrain's capital Friday, leading to clashes for a second day. Anti-government protesters jammed a major highway

Bahrain To Probe Deaths Of Protester, Policeman

Authorities in Bahrain said Friday they have launched investigations into the death of a teenager and a policeman during violent protests marking the second anniversary of the failed pro-democracy uprising against the rule of the country's Sunni royal family. Chief of Public Prosecution and the Head of the

Go on, shoot me! Grief-stricken protester confronts Bahraini riot police (VIDEO)
The death of a teenage boy during the violent second anniversary of Bahrains popular uprising drove one enraged protester to face down riot police in a dramatic scene caught on lm. Through the haze of smoke in the debris-littered streets

Concern over fate of Bahrain dialogue

The unrest and the killing of a teenager and a policeman on Thursday and the shooting of an ofcer with birdshot ammunition on Friday have caused concern the events would cast a dark cloud over the national dialogue in early stages. The dialogue, aiming to end months of deep suspicions

and frustrating mistrust among all sides, was launched on Sunday as moderates attempted to have the upper hand over both radicals and sceptics opposed to the talks. However, the deadly events that unfolded on Thursday and the clashes on Friday are likely to stir outrage on both sides and put pressure on societies to pull out of the dialogue. Read More

Bahrain objects to political violence

The government of Bahrain said any party or group with real political demands should avoid using violence to pursue their objectives. Bahrain's Justice Minister Khalid bin Ali al-Khalifa said he was concerned by the increase in violence as

Bahrainis marked the second anniversary of the start of an uprising against the Sunni-led monarchy. The ofcial Bahrain News Agency said the minister stressed "the government's resolve to prevent using violence as a tool to pressurize decisions" and called on "anyone who has got real demands" to avoid further conict. Read More shotgun blast red at close range in the village of Daih, west of the Bahraini capital of Manama. Protests took place in Manama and throughout the poor villages home to the countrys Shia population70 percent of Bahrains citizenry marking the second anniversary of the February 14, 2011 uprising against the ruling Al Khalifa Sunni dynasty headed by King Hamad. Read More

POMED Notes: Two Years Later: Prospects for Reform in Bahrain on the Anniversary of the Uprising
The Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) and Freedom House cohosted a panel discussion titled Two Years Later: Prospects for Reform in Bahrain on the Anniversary of the Uprising. The panel members were Frederic Wehrey, Senior Associate, Middle East Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Mohammed al-Maskati, President, Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, and Maryam al-Khawaja, Acting President, Bahrain

Center for Human Rights. The event was moderated by Charles Dunne, Director, Middle East and North Africa Programs, Freedom House, and opening remarks were given by Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN). At the beginning of his opening statement, Rep. Keith Ellison acknowledged the recent death of 16-yearold Hussain al-Jaziri, who was killed by police the morning of the event. The congressman acknowledged the importance of the dialogue but urged the government of Bahrain to show seriousness by taking real condence building measures, starting with the release of political prisoners Nabeel Rajab and Abdelhadi al-Khawaja. Read More

Teenager Shot Dead in Bahrain Protest Against US-Backed Monarchy

Security forces shot to death a 16-year-old boy in Bahrain Thursday, while scores of other people were wounded and arrested in mass protests against the US-backed monarchy. The teenager, identied as Ali Ahmed Ibrahim alJazeeri, was killed by a