Bahrain Ends Martial Law but Renews Crackdown on Protests
\nBy KATHERINE ZOEPF
\nPublished: June 1, 2011<\/p>\n
Hours after Bahrain officially ended 11 weeks of martial law on Wednesday, security forces attacked peaceful protesters in more than 20 villages with rubber bullets, stun grenades, shotguns and tear gas, according to human rights observers in Bahrain. Protesters in Bahrain on Wednesday marched in a village north of the capital, Manama. Martial law ended on Tuesday, but security forces were still active.<\/p>\n
A day earlier, the king, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, called for a national dialogue aimed at reconciliation, while also making it clear he would not tolerate any public protests. As the government withdrew troops from the capital of Manama early Wednesday, it promptly dispatched large numbers of police officers, who began massing at dawn in the areas where activists had called for protests, said Mohammed al-Maskati, the leader of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn some villages the protesters only gathered for a few minutes before the security forces attacked,\u201d said Mr. Maskati, who said the plan was for coordinated protests to begin at 5 p.m. in mostly Shiite villages around the tiny island kingdom.<\/p>\n
Bahrain\u2019s Shiite majority, inspired by the example of the Egyptian pro-democracy demonstrators who brought down their authoritarian president, Hosni Mubarak, started a protest movement in early February. They pressed for greater rights and freedoms from the Sunni monarchy, which they said had long discriminated against Shiites in housing, education and employment.<\/p>\n
As the popular uprising gained momentum, bringing tens of thousands into the street, the monarchy began an aggressive crackdown, including attacks on medical personnel and the injured seeking treatment, arbitrary detentions, torture and the killing of more than 30 demonstrators, human rights researchers said. In mid-March, the king declared martial law and invited troops from the Gulf Cooperation Council, including 1,200 from Saudi Arabia and 800 from the United Arab Emirates, into the country to help stop the unrest. …more<\/a><\/p>\n