Bahrain sends troops as angry Shias mark year since uprising

Published on Wednesday 15 February 2012 02:31

Bahraini security forces fanned out across the island nation yesterday in an unprecedented show of force, as Shias marked the one-year anniversary of their uprising against the country’s Sunni rulers.

Authorities sent troops and armoured vehicles – not seen on the streets since last year – to the mainly Shiite villages around the capital, Manama, to prevent people from gathering and answering the call of the main opposition movement, al-Wefaq.

Meanwhile, the government threatened to take legal action against the organisers of protests on Monday that turned violent. This could herald a new crackdown on al-Wefaq, which until last year was tolerated, but which has suffered prosecutions and detentions since it took the lead in last year’s protests.

At least 40 people have been killed during a year of political unrest in Bahrain, the Gulf country hardest hit by upheaval during 2011’s Arab Spring protests.

The kingdom’s ruling dynasty has promised reforms, although it refuses to make the far-reaching changes the protesters and al-Wefaq are demanding. These include ending the monarchy’s power to select the government, set key state policies and appoint most members of parliament.

Police yesterday fired tear gas at protesters in an apparent attempt to pre-empt a repeat of marches the night before, in which protesters made their largest attempt in months to retake the city’s central roundabout. Pearl Square had served as the epicentre of weeks of anti-government protests last year, and its reoccupation would be a major boost for the movement.

The government statement said many protesters on Monday left an authorised route in Manama, turning it into a riot after police arrived. It said al-Wefaq was responsible for the violence, because it failed to “control the crowd [and] that jeopardised the safety of the people along a busy main road.”

Al-Wefaq rejected the claim, saying the “unfounded accusations” were part of efforts to discredit the group.

“They have used excessive force against the people throughout all this time, but people keep coming back to the streets to insist on their demand to have a role in the decisions about their country,” said Abdul Jalil Khalil, a former al-Wefaq MP.

Shias make up about 70 per cent of Bahrain’s 525,000 population, but say they have faced decades of discrimination and are blocked from top political and security posts.

“After years of broken promises for change, Bahrain exploded last year,” Mr Khalil said. “We are still here and we want serious solution and meaningful reform.”

Sunni rulers made token concessions in June ahead of reconciliation talks between the monarchy and the opposition. A so-called national dialogue began in July, but al-Wefaq delegates pulled out of the talks, saying the government was not willing to discuss reform.

Bahrain is a western ally, hosting the US Fifth Fleet to counter Shiite Iran across the Gulf. Yet the United States has suspended a $53 million (£33.5m) arms deal until it sees “more progress” by the government on reforms.

Bahraini authorities have hired British and US police chiefs to help reform policing after revelations about the torture and death of detainees during last year’s crackdown.

Opposition parties and youths say police behaviour has not improved, and accuse police of using harsh tactics to suppress dissent in the Shiite villages that could produce protesters again.