EVEN as riot police in Bahrain used tear gas and rubber bullets to break up widespread protests inspired by the recent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, the government seemed to be clueless in tackling the situation.
At least one person was killed and 10 others hospitalized in the riots, according to reports.
Thousands of demonstrators participated in what organizers called a ‘Day of Rage’ across Bahrain on Feb 14.
The protestors demanded among other things a new constitution, the release of political prisoners and stopping perceived discrimination against the country’s Shi’ite Muslims.
Though the protests were termed by rights group monitoring the situation as ‘peaceful’, VOA reported that gunshots could be heard in a number of Shi’ite neighborhoods. In the Bani Jamrah district, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets down a street filled with women and children.
Shi’ites make up more than 70 percent of Bahrain’s population and say they are not given adequate benefits by the ruling Sunni minority. They also accuse King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of issuing Bahraini passports to foreign Sunnis to reduce the Shi’ite majority.
