Clashes and protests mark fifth anniversary of Bahrain's 'uprising' Pro-democracy activists accuse authorities of repression as police use tear gas and water cannons to break up demonstrations Bahraini protesters wearing masks are seen during clashes with security forces in Manama, Bahrain (AA) A protester in Manama carries a flag depicting executed Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr (AA)
Alex MacDonald-Sunday 14 February 2016
Clashes have taken place and youths have been arrested in Bahrain as
protesters commemorated the fifth anniversary of the beginning of
pro-democracy protests in the Gulf island state.
An unspecified numbers of minors were arrested for “riots and acts of
sabotage” and for having “disrupted people’s interests,” the state-run
Bahrain News Agency said on Sunday.
Clashes broke out in Manama, the
Bahraini capital, over the weekend as police fired tear gas and water
cannons at mainly masked youths who burned tyres and threw debris at
police officers.
Many also
carried flags or pictures of martyrs, including depictions of Nimr
al-Nimr, the Shia cleric executed by Saudi Arabia in early January.
Sayed
Alwadaei, director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and
Democracy, described the situation on Sunday as similar to a state of
martial law with "violence, arrests and tear gas".
"There has been an appearance of security forces at every entry and exit of each village," he told Middle East Eye.
"There are protests all over the areas in Bahrain."
He added that villages were being "evacuated with tear gas as a method of collective punishment".
Pro-democracy activists posted evidence on Twitter of birdshot being used against protesters.
