Special Reports
\nViolence mars end of Bahrain’s emergency
\nPublished: June 2, 2011 at 1:48 PM
\nMass Arrests in Bahrain Government Crackdown
\nAl Jazeera English<\/p>\n
MANAMA, Bahrain, June 2 (UPI) — Security forces were reported on the streets of Bahrain a day after the United Nations said the end of a state of emergency was a sign for hope.<\/p>\n
Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa lifted a state of emergency in place since March 15 though unrest continued throughout the country. The minority Sunni monarchy is struggling to quiet an uprising by the Shiite majority.<\/p>\n
Government troops descended on anti-government protesters using tear gas near the capital Manama after the king issued his orders, al-Jazeera reports.<\/p>\n
Nabeel Rajab, the vice president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, told the Arab broadcaster that king’s orders were an effort to display a sense of normalcy in the country.<\/p>\n
“The Bahraini government is desperately trying to send out the message that everything is back to normal but it is not,” he said.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the international community welcomed the lifting of the state of emergency as a sign the monarchy was embracing reform. …more<\/a><\/p>\n