| Timeline of the 2011–2012 Bahraini uprising | |||||||||||||||
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| Part of the Arab Spring | |||||||||||||||
| Protesters camped out for days at the Pearl Roundabout, which functioned as the centre point of protests until it was torn down. | |||||||||||||||
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| Lead figures | |||||||||||||||
| Free Bahrain Coalition ; People Liberation Forces
February 14 Youth Coalition |
King Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa[3] PM Khalifa ibn Salman Al Khalifa CP Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa Special Security Force Command National Security Agency Bahrain Defence Force Al Fateh national union gathering |
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| Casualties | |||||||||||||||
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The following is a timeline of the 2011–2012 Bahraini uprising, a campaign of protests, rioting, and civil disobedience in the Persian Gulf state of Bahrain that is considered part of the revolutionary wave of protests dubbed the Arab Spring.
Contents |
On 4 February, several hundred Bahrainis gathered in front of the Egyptian embassy in Manama to express solidarity with anti-government protesters there.[16] According to The Wall Street Journal, this was "one of the first such gatherings to be held in the oil-rich Persian Gulf states."[16] At the gathering, Ibrahim Sharif, the secretary-general of the National Democratic Action Society (Wa'ad), called for "local reform."[16]
Al Jazeera reported that a protest was planned for 14 February,[1] just a few months after the controversial 2010 election.[17]
On 14 February, an estimated 6,000 people participated in many demonstrations and political rallies throughout Bahrain. The protesters' demands varied, and included constitutional reform, political reform, and socio-economic justice. No permits were sought by protesters, as is required by Bahraini law. The earliest demonstration was recorded at 05:30 in the mainly-Shia village of Nuwaidrat, where 300 people are said to have participated.[18](pp68-9) The marchers were demanding the release of those detained during earlier protests.[19] Police dispersed this rally, resulting in some injuries, and the hospitalization of one demonstrator. Police continued to disperse rallies throughout the day with tear gas, rubber bullets, and shotguns, resulting in additional injuries, and the hospitalization of three more demonstrators.[18](p68)
In the evening of 14 February, Ali Mushaima died from police shotgun wounds to his back at close range. The government says that Ali was part of a group of 500 protesters that attacked 6 policemen with rocks and metal rods. The government claims that the police exhausted their supply of tear gas and rubber bullets in a failed attempt to disperse the crowd, and resorted to the use of shotguns. Witnesses say that that there were no demonstrations at the time Ali was shot. They say Ali was seen walking with a group of officers who were pointing their guns at him. As Ali walked away, he was shot in the back by one of the officers. Later, several hundred demonstrators congregated in the car park of the hospital where Ali was taken.[18](pp69,229) The Ministry of Interior expressed its regret at the incident and announced that his death would be investigated.[20]
On 15 February, thousands of mourners participated in Ali Mushaima's funeral. During the funeral, Fadhel Al-Matrook was shot by police in the back at close range, and he died within the hour from his shotgun wounds. The government says that Fadhel was part of a group of 400 mourners that attacked 7 policemen with rocks and metal rods. The government claims that the police exhausted their supply of tear gas and rubber bullets in a failed attempt to disperse the crowd, and resorted to the use of shotguns. Witnesses say that police shot Fadhel in the back as he bent over to help a mourner who collapsed when police fired tear gas at Ali's funeral.[18](pp70,229-30) Protesters, angered by this second death, marched to Pearl Roundabout around 15:00, and began to set up tents.[21] The number of demonstrators swelled to up to ten thousand by nightfall.[22] Police did not attempt to disperse demonstrators at the roundabout, as Bahrain's King, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, had ordered that people be permitted to occupy the Pearl Roundabout to express their sadness.[18](p71)
Mohammed Albuflasa, a former officer in the Bahrain Defence Force, disappeared after he gave an evening speech at the roundabout calling for national unity between Sunnis and Shia, and expressing support of the protests.[23] The speech was noteworthy because Mohammed is a religiously conservative Sunni Muslim, whereas most of the protesters were Shia or secular Sunnis.[24] The government first acknowledged on March 4 that he was in their custody.[23]
In reaction to the two deaths, Bahrain's main trade union federation, the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions, called for a general strike beginning on 17 February, and Al Wefaq, the party with the largest number of seats in Bahrain's parliament, announced it would suspend its participation in Parliament.[18](p71). In an evening address on state television to mark the occasion of Mawlid, King Hamad offered condolences for the two deaths, and announced the establishment of a committee to investigate the events of the past two days. Throughout the day, 25 people were said to have been injured[25], and hospital records at Bahrain's main public hospital show seven admissions related to the protests.[18](p172)
On 16 February, thousands of protesters continued to occupy Pearl Roundabout.[26] Witnesses described the mood at the roundabout as "festive," with protesters distributing tea, coffee, and food while discussing the situation in Bahrain. Various political figures gave speeches at the roundabout. Elsewhere in Bahrain, a funeral procession was held for Fadhel Al-Matrook, and a vehicular procession comprising around 100 cars was held by supporters of King Hamad. Police did not interfere with these events.[18](pp72-3) Two individuals were admitted to Bahrain's main public hospital for injuries related to ongoing protests on 16 February.[18](p172)
The scheduled GP2 Asia Series race at the Bahrain International Circuit was cancelled, after a practice had to be called off due to the redeployment of the circuit's medical staff to hospitals in the capital. A practice session for the 2011 Formula One season Bahrain Grand Prix was also called off, and officials expressed concern that the race would need to be moved or cancelled.[27]
At about 3:00 a.m. local time on 17 February, around 1,000 police were dispatched to clear the Pearl Roundabout of an estimated 1,500 individuals staying overnight in tents. Police were armed with sticks, shields, sound bombs, tear gas, and shotguns.[18](p73) Two hundred and thirty one individuals were said to have been injured during the raid[28], and seventy individuals were reported missing.[29][30] Three individuals were killed by police using shotguns. Of these three, two were shot in the back at close range, and one was shot in the thigh at close range. The government claims that the lethal shots were fired at protesters who attacked police officers with swords, daggers, and other weapons. The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, set up by the King to report on the events of February and March, did not see any evidence to support the government's claim that protesters were armed.[18](pp74,230-2)
The raid resulted in the destruction of the encampment. In the aftermath of the raid, security forces declared the protest camp to be illegal, and placed barbed wire around Pearl Roundabout.[31] Around an hour after the raid, a group of protesters began to march back towards the roundabout. Police shot one protester in his head at a distance of a few centimeters with a shotgun, killing him. Police claim that this group of protesters attacked officers using metal rods, swords, molotov cocktails, stones, and other weapons.[18](pp74,231-2)
The government claimed that they found pistols, bullets, and a large quantity of knives, daggers, swords, and other sharp objects[18](p74), in addition to Hezbollah flags[32] at the roundabout. At a news conference, Foreign Minister Khalid ibn Ahmad Al Khalifah alleged, and expressed his surprise, that protesters had attacked police.[32] Al Wefaq, the National Democratic Action Society, and five other opposition political parties issued a joint statement rejecting the government's charge that the demonstrators were armed, and condemning "the heinous massacre" perpetrated by police. All 18 Members of Parliament from Al Wefaq, the only opposition political party represented in Parliament, submitted their resignations.[18](p75)
Sporadic clashes broke out around Bahrain hours after the raid. In the afternoon, the Bahrain Defence Force deployed tanks, and at least 50 armored personnel carriers armed with machine guns[32] around Bahrain's capital Manama. Military checkpoints were set up in the streets, and army patrols circulated. The Interior Ministry issued a warning to stay off the streets[29], and the army warned that they were ready to take punitive measures to restore order.[18](p75)
According to an Al Jazeera English correspondent, hospitals in Manama were full of people injured during the police raid, including medical personnel who were attacked by police while trying to help the wounded.[29] By the evening, thousands of demonstrators had congregated at the main hospital[18](p75), where records showed 41 admissions related to the protests on 17 February. Bahrain's Minister of Health appeared on state television and claimed that the situation at the main hospital was calm, and there were only seven minor injuries.[18](p173)
On 18 February, government forces used live ammunition against protesters, mourners and news reporters, with multiple casualties reported.[33] Security forces fired on medics loading the wounded into ambulances.[33] One person died and at least sixty-six were wounded.[33]
The protesters moved into the centre of Manama from the funerals of protesters killed in a security crackdown earlier in the week, and then were fired on by Bahraini army.[34] Some protesters held their hands up high and shouted, "Peaceful! Peaceful!"[35]
On 19 February, military and police forces withdrew from the capital on orders from the government. Thousands of protesters were then able to return to the Pearl Roundabout.[36][37]
On 20 February, "teachers, lawyers and engineers" from Manama joined the protests and the protests were calmer than in the previous week.[38]
On 21 February, the Bahrain News Agency, a branch of Bahrain's Ministry of Culture and Information, claimed that 300,000 Bahraini residents (more than fifty percent of the local population; Bahrain local population is 568,000),[39] has gathered in the grounds opposite Al Fateh Mosque in Manama to support the ruling monarchy.[40] It was announced that the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix would be postponed from its original date on 13 March to a later date.[41]
On 22 February, a Martyr's March was announced and a funeral of one the protesters killed earlier in the week also took place,[42] along with the expected arrival of Hasan Mushaima, the leader of the opposition group Haq movement.[43] Pro-monarchy demonstrators marched in large numbers in other parts of the city.[44]
Reports suggested that over 100,000 anti-government protesters, more than twelve percent of the population, were out on the streets,[45][46][47] the march extended up to 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) long.[48]
King Hamad ordered the release of 308 political prisoners.[49][50]
For the tenth day in a row, on 23 February anti-government protests continued and protesters were still present at the Pearl Roundabout. The Shia Ulama Council called for a big rally on 25 February, after Friday prayers to mark a day of mourning for the protesters killed by security forces. The protests planned to start from two different locations, one of which is the Salmaniya Medical Complex, which received all the medical cases since the start of the anti-government protests, with the other being the Seef junction. The two rallies were to meet in Pearl Square.[51] US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Mike Mullen visited Manama to meet King Hamad and Crown Prince Salman. He said the visit was aimed at "reaffirming, reassuring and also trying to understand where the leaderships of these countries are going, and in particular in Bahrain."[52]
The BBC News reported that crowds of more than fifteen thousand continued to gather in Pearl Square without signs of police or army presence on the streets.[53] The government declared a national day of mourning in respect of protesters who had been killed in previous clashes.[54] Meanwhile, opposition leader Hassan Mushaima remained in Lebanon where he alleged that he was being denied passage to Bahrain contrary to promises by the government that he would no longer be wanted for arrest.[55]
On 26 February, the king dismissed several ministers in an apparent move to appease the opposition.[56][57][58] The government also announced that it would cancel twenty-five percent of housing loans that had been already given to citizens.[59] However, the opposition's responded negatively, as the ministerial changes was not one of their demands. Resigned parliament member Abdul-Jalil Khalil commented that this change was a sign of the government's lack of good will, claiming that, by doing these minor changes the government is just trying to avoid the core problems. Opposition leader Hasan Mushaima was released by Lebanese authorities after being detained for two days due to an Interpol warrant that had been issued in 2010.[56] Protests took place in the night, which also followed his return.
On 27 February, protesters planned to march to the Ministry of Justice to demand the release of more political prisoners. The protesters called for a general strike planned for 6 March.[60]
On 28 February, protesters surrounded the National Assembly building, blocking access for two and a half hours.[61]
On 1 March, an anti-government rally was called by the seven opposition groups in Bahrain, tens of thousands of protesters took part, the rally was named the National Unity Rally.[62]
By 2 March, anti-government protesters continued to occupy the Pearl Roundabout, while a pro-government rally was convened at the Al Fateh centre in Manama and believed to be the largest national gathering in the history of Bahrain.[63] A number of different protests were staged, a protest in front of the Ministries of Interior and Education, thousands of primary and secondary students took peaceful protests to the streets and a car rally was organised that drove through the country.[64]
Bahrain's lower chamber agreed to discuss the following week (decision of acceptance was to be issued on 29 March) the mass resignation (following the 14 February killing of a protester and the injury of several more) of the eighteen lawmakers representing Al Wefaq.[65]
On 3 March, police intervened with tear gas to disperse young Sunnis and Shiites who clashed in Hamad Town. This was the first incident of sectarian violence since the anti-government demonstrations started.[66] The same day, Abdul-Jalil Khalil, a senior leader of the Shia opposition, said that they were prepared to accept the ruling family's offer of entering into a dialogue to address their political greivances.[67]
On 4 March, tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators gathered outside the headquarters of Bahrain's state television, chanting slogans against the ruling dynasty. Sheikh Ali Salman, the head of the Islamic National Accord Association, the main Shia political formation, called for Sunni-Shia harmony, following the sectarian clashes a day earlier.[67] Six opposition groups officially submitted their demands to the government, conditions that include the abolition of the 2002 constitution and "the election of a constitutional assembly for drafting a new basic law" for the country.[67]
| External videos | |
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| Thugs attack Bahrain University Students on YouTube | |
On 6 March, thousands of protesters gathered outside the prime minister's office in Bahrain to demand that he step down, while a government meeting was in progress there. In addition, demonstrators remained in hundreds of tents at Manama's Pearl Roundabout.[68]
On 8 March, three Shiite groups formed the "Coalition for a Bahraini Republic", including the Wafa, Haq and Freedom Movement, called for the abolishing of the monarchy and the establishing of a democratic republic.[69]
On 9 March, in a protest that began at the Ras Roman mosque, thousands of Shia Bahrainis marched on the immigration office in the capital, Manama, and voiced their opposition towards the granting of citizenship to Sunnis from other countries serving in the country's military. However, in order to emphasise that the protest was against the government's naturalisation policy, and not against Bahrain's native Sunni population, participants also shouted slogans about Sunni-Shia unity.[70]
On 10 March, at a school in Saar, clashes erupted between naturalised Sunni parents – mainly from Syria and Pakistan – and Shia parents, after some Shia pupils launched anti-government protests. In a separate incident, teachers, students and their parents took part in a protest in front of the ministry of education, in Isa Town, demanding the resignation of Dr Majid bin Ali al-Naimi, the education minister.[71]
On 13 March, riot police used tear gas and rubber bullets in an attempt to force a group of hundreds of anti-government protesters from blocking the capital's financial district, where demonstrators have been camped out for more than a week. A video that appeared on YouTube showed one protester being shot with a tear-gas canister at close range. Riot police also encircled demonstrators at Pearl Roundabout, the focal point of protests in Bahrain for nearly a month, firing tear gas canisters, while other protesters staged a number of marches on symbolic targets – the prime minister's office, the foreign ministry, and the state television building, among others. Bahrain's interior ministry said eight police were injured during the operation to disperse protesters, including removing tents.[72] A Pakistani construction worker, Irfan Muhammad suffered serious brain injuries after he was allegedly brutally assaulted and had his tongue cut out by anti-government protesters.[73]
On 13 April, a group of University of Bahrain students began to protest in response to events at the BFH.[74] The university announced that due to recent events it was going to cease academic operations in Sakhir and Isa Town until further notice, not resuming courses until 15 May.[75]
On 14 March, the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), a six-nation regional grouping which includes Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates agreed to send troops of the Peninsula Shield Force to guard key facilities, such as oil and gas installations and financial institutions, at the request of the Bahraini government. About 4,000 Saudi Arabian troops arrived, to be followed by 500 UAE police.[76][77] The Saudi troops arrived in around 150 armoured vehicles and 50 other lightly armoured vehicles.[77][78]
The Bahraini government said that they had requested the troops "to look at ways to help them to defuse the tension in Bahrain.".[77] Some of the Bahraini opposition said this "amounted to an occupation." [76][79] There was also opposition to the troops arriving only twenty four hours after bloody clashes between the protesters and the police.[76] Other reports claimed the protesting Shi'ite faction called it war, reflecting a split within the opposition. The Crown Prince is holding talks with the opposition about reform.[80] The US has called for restraint, but has made no comment about whether it supports these troops,[76] while Iran has denounced the use of troops from neighbouring Gulf Arab states as "unacceptable", prompting Bahrain to recall its ambassador to Iran in protest at Tehran's "blatant interference" in its internal affairs, according to the state news agency.[81]
On 15 March, the king of Bahrain declared a three-month state of emergency, authorising the nation's armed forces chief to take all measures to "protect the safety of the country and its citizens".[81] Despite this, clashes between anti-government demonstrators and security forces continued, leaving at least two people dead and as many as 200 injured. There were also violent clashes in several mainly Shia areas. In the village of Sitra the police fired on residents. A doctor told the BBC News that soldiers and police were using ambulances to attack people.[82] Britain advised their nationals in Bahrain to leave as soon as possible and promised to help anyone who needed evacuation. "We advise against all travel to Bahrain; we recommend those who do not have a pressing reason to remain should leave by commercial means as soon as it is safe to do so." the British Foreign Office said.[83]
| External videos | |
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| Protests in Manama, Bahrain, 16 March 2011 on YouTube | |
Following the deployment of the Peninsula Shield Force , security forces launched a crackdown on protesters at the Pearl Roundabout and elsewhere.[84] Security forces used armored vehicles and helicopters during the operation, and fired tear gas to disperse protesters. Hundreds of protesters were cleared from Pearl Square. Five protesters were killed and dozens wounded during the crackdown.
Security forces also blocked access to medical facilities, and a doctor claimed that government forces hunted a hospital for injured demonstrators, and shot them in the corridors.[85] Many activists were also arrested or re-arrested. The Royal Bahraini Army warned that gatherings should be avoided "for your own safety".[86] The Saudi presence also fueled concerns of further strife over the Sunni-Shia divide.[87]
The following day, Manama was reported to be largely quiet. Shops and malls were still shut as soldiers were stationed throughout the city, including downtown commercial districts and the Bahrain Financial Harbour. Some clashes continued outside Manama in places such as Sitra and Karrana. Salmaniya Hospital also reported that it was running short of medical supplies such as sterilisation equipment and oxygen tanks. Government forces also blocked off the hospital trapping in at least 100 doctors who were unable to leave the premises. Bahrain TV aired coverage of South Asian expatriate workers being dragged out of an ambulance at the hospital while being assaulted by protesters. At least six people were also reported killed.[88]
Several opposition leaders and activists were arrested overnight, including Hassan Mushaima; Ibrahim Sharif, the head of the Waad political society; and Abdul Jalil al-Singace, a leader of the Haq movement.[89] Mushaima also spoke to Al Jazeera saying: "[Bahraini security forces] should stop killing people. The US especially knows that the people are struggling for democracy in a peaceful way. All the journalists came and saw the people protesting peacefully, and they did not try to use any weapons...and they were only throwing roses." Sheikh Ali Salman, the head of Al Wefaq, said that "the military should withdraw from Bahrain, the military of Saudi Arabia, and this is a call to the Saudi king, King Abdullah."[86]
International bank staff were moved to Dubai amid the unrest.[90] The Bahrain Stock Exchange did not open on 16 March following the state of emergency declaration,[91] however, it reopened the following day as concerns arose of possible headwinds.[92]
Several hundred to a few thousand[93] Saudi protesters in Qatif and nearby towns marched from 15[94] to 18 March[95] in solidarity with the Bahraini protestors calling for the Peninsula Shield Force to be withdrawn from Bahrain.[96][97]
Al Arabiya showed a video of medics, who they said were aligned with the protesters, hitting injured ethnic Indian workers who had been hospitalised. According to it, foreign workers were being assaulted by protesters in order to undermine the national economy.[98] Another video showed a group of protesters including some in a vehicle marked with a Red Crescent running over a policeman multiple times.[99]
| External videos | |
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| Bahrain Gov. destroys the Pearl Monument, The Symbol of Bahrain Protests. on YouTube | |
The Pearl Monument was demolished early on 18 March. The move was read as destroying an important symbol and focal point of the protest movement.[100]
A leading Shia cleric, Sheikh Isa Qassim, said during Friday prayers in Diraz that people were demanding their rights to political reform and that they "do not believe in violence that authorities are trying to push them to." He also backed "the peaceful approach [that] has been our choice since day one." Across Bahrain, thousands of protesters poured out of mosques after Friday prayers to promise to "sacrifice blood for Bahrain" as people gathered to bury Jaafar Mohammed Abdali, a victim of the security forces' bloody crackdown.[101] Doctors in Bahrain said that hospitals were under siege by the military. Some medical staff were given permission to leave the hospital while state television filmed them. The cameras were then switched off and the staff were beaten, while women were threatened with being stripped. A doctor also said that none of the wounded protesters were allowed to be transferred to the hospital from other clinics. Doctors who spoke to the foreign news media were arrested and only a few were still in the hospital [102]
On 20 March, several hundred mourners marched during the funeral procession of Radhi Isa Al Radhiin in the eastern Shia village of Sitra.[103]
In the early hours of the day, Nabeel Rajab, the president of Bahrain Center for Human Rights was briefly detained by dozens of uniformed Bahraini security forces along with 20 to 25 masked men, some armed with rifles. Rajab was subsequently released after questioning in a detention facility run by the Ministry of Interior in Adliya, a suburb of the capital, Manama.[104][105][106]
The same day, eighteen former legislators, who resigned in protest against the crackdown, also gathered at the UN offices in Manama to appeal to the UN to stop the violence against protesters and mediate talks between the opposition and the government. They also called on the US to pressure the Saudi-led military force to leave the country.[103] Al Jazeera reported that the main opposition groups had eased conditions for talks with the government a day after the king pledged to bring reforms to end the protests. The largest Shia opposition party, Al Wefaq, also called for the release of all prisoners and asked for an end to the security crackdown and a complete withdrawal of all GCC troops.[107] Hundreds of Saudi Arabians protested in Qatif against the presence of the Peninsula Shield Force in Bahrain.[108] Reuters described the military intervention in Bahrain as having caused the Saudi protests to intensify, reporting an incident in which the second home of a judge calling for street protests to stop was burnt by angry youths.[108]
On 25 March, a "Day of Rage" was planned for nine Bahraini locations, defying the country's emergency rule. The marches were organized by Internet activists and Shia villages across the country, but the mainstream Shia opposition group Wefaq and at least parts of the February 14 Youth Movement, who had organized the earlier Pearl Roundabout protests, were not involved. Meanwhile, the government of Bahrain, after consulting with the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, made a formal complaint to the government of Lebanon about Hezbollah's offer of support to the mainly Shia protesters[109][110] The police rapidly broke up the protest by using tear gas, rubber bullets and bird shot.[111] According to Al Wefaq, a Bahraini political society, a 71-year-old man died of asphyxiation in his home after police fired tear gas in the village of Ma'ameer.[112]
Pakistanis protested against the use of their fellow countrymen being used as mercenaries to halt the revolutionary movement in Bahrain.[113]
On 27 March, Al Wefaq accepted a Kuwaiti offer to mediate in talks with the Bahraini government to end the political crisis. This was also welcomed by the GCC.[114]
Al Wefaq announced that the number of missing persons had reached sixty-six persons, most dating back to after the storming of the security forces in the Pearl Roundabout on 16 March. It also said that the number of detainees was 173 – including five women, two of whom were pregnant – and that security forces raided Sheikh Abdul Jalil al-Miqdad house early on 27 March and arrested him. In addition, Al Wefaq announced that security forces had also arrested Jawad Kadhim Monshed, Abdullah Hassan Al-Hamad, Syed Alwi Al-Alwi, Toufic Al-Kassabm and Hassan Al-Kassab at dawn on 26 March. [115]
On 28 March, Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid ibn Ahmad Al Khalifah denied any Kuwaiti involvement stating, "Any talk about Kuwaiti mediation in Bahrain is completely untrue, there were previous efforts that were not answered, but these were ended by the act of National Safety (martial law)."[116]
On 29 March, Bahrain's parliament accepted the resignations of eleven out of eighteen Al-Wefaq MPs who stepped down in protest at violence against pro-democracy demonstrators.[117] Abdul Jalil Khalil, Al-Wefaq's leader, also resigned.[117][118]
Prominent Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al-Yousif was arrested as the protests continued.[119] UN Human Rights Watch announced that Bahraini authorities were harassing and isolating hospital patients wounded in anti-government protests.[120] "These patients also have been removed from hospitals or forcibly transferred to other medical facilities, often against medical advice. Human Rights Watch has been documenting these cases".[121] BBC News obtained images of police officers cruelly beating unarmed handcuffed protesters.[122]
Ayat Al-Qurmezi,a twenty-year-old poet, was arrested for reciting a poem critical of the government during the pro-democracy protests in Pearl Square, the main gathering place for demonstrators, in February.[123]
On 3 April, the pro-opposition Bahraini newspaper Alwasat was temporarily shut down by the Bahraini government.[124]
On 5 April, Physicians for Human Rights reported that a number of doctors had gone missing at the Salmaniya Medical Complex in Manama following recent interrogations by security forces.[125][126]
On 7 April, Docters Without Borders released a report stating that hospitals in Bahrain were used as bait by the government to snare wounded pro-democracy protestors after security forces took over health facilities. The Bahraini government, however, denied these claims.[127] On the same day, four players of the Bahrain national football team were suspended after being accused of lending their support to anti-government protests. A'ala Hubail and Mohamed Hubail were reported to have been arrested during a training session with the Al Ahli football club after being identified on television at a rally to protest against the Bahrain government.[128]
On 9 April, twenty masked men stormed the house of the daughter of leading Shia activist Abdulhadi Alkhawaja. During the raid, Abdulhadi Alkhawaja was seized in the middle of the night and taken away with his two sons-in-law.[129]
On 10 April, the interior ministry reported that two Shia activists died in custody.[130] Officials accused Nabeel Rajab of fabricating photos posted on his twitter account of the body of Ali Isa Ibrahim Saqer, who died in detention on April 9. The photos showed slash marks all over his back and other signs of physical abuse. A Human Rights Watch researcher saw Saqer's body just prior to his burial and said the photos were accurate.[131][132] According to PBS NewsHour on 17 May 2011, "Five prison guards are being charged with Saqer's death. That's according to Bahrain's Minister of Justice Sheikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdulla al Khalifa, one of the royal family".[133]
On 11 April, four CNN reporters were arrested by Bahraini security forces in the village of Bani Jamra for filming in unrestricted areas; they were later released.[134]
One Bahraini national and two Iranian nationals were accused by the Bahraini High Court of providing military and economic information to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards between 2002 and April 2010, with "the intention of harming the national interests of the country". The court adjourned the case until 20 April.[135]
Iranian member of parliament Ruhollah Hosseinian said that the Islamic Republic should dispatch its military forces to Bahrain.[136][137]
The Associated Press reported that Zainab al-Khawaja, the daughter of prominent activist Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, announced on her blog, as well as on Twitter, in a letter addressed to US President Barack Obama that she would not eat until her father is released, along with her husband, brother-in-law and uncle.[138] She ended her fast on 20 April 2011.[139]
The release of eighty-six prisoners and suspension of more teachers and doctors was reported by the Bahraini newspaper Alwasat.[140]
The Ministry of Justice announced it would move to ban Al Wefaq and the Islamic Action Society, but after strong criticism by the US government and others, the Foreign Minister denied that the government had any plans to dissolve either political parties and claimed that "the news were inaccurate".[141]
On 15 April, The News International, a Pakistani newspaper, reported that Iranian Foreign Ministry had warned Pakistan of serious ramifications if the recruitment of thousands of Sunni Pakistanis in the Bahraini security forces did not stop. Nevertheless, the Pakistani Army, which provides the recruitment of retired military personnel has ignored the Iranian warning as the recruitment process continued. The newspaper further reported that the Iranian media predicted a prominent role for Pakistan in the Middle East, accusing Pakistan of "collaborating with the Sunni rulers of Bahrain to crush a pro-democracy movement".[142]
In the early hours of April 18, unknown assailants lobbed teargas grenades into the home of Nabeel Rajab, president of BCHR in the village of Bani Jamra. Tear gas penetrated into the adjacent home of Rajab's 78-year-old mother who suffers from respiratory disease, causing her great distress. To Human Rights Watch's knowledge, only Bahrain's security forces have access to the types of grenades thrown into the Rajab family's compound.[143][144]
Several reports have documented a systematic military abuse against medical staff.[145]
On April 21 emails by a senior surgeon from the Salmaniya Medical Complex were published by The Independent, adding more details on the disappearance of medical staff reported on April 5. The surgeon, before disappearing wrote on April 8: "Three weeks of hell. The military took control of the Salmaniya Hospital. Doctors, nurses, paramedics and patients treated as suspects by soldiers and policemen. Daily interrogation and detention to some of our colleges [...] so many of our consultant surgeon and physician colleges been arrested at pre-dawn raids and disappear. Not only doctors, nurses paramedics, football players, university academics, dean of colleges... everybody is a suspect not sure but very much intimidated and frighten."[146] UK medics have stated that Bahrain is violating the Geneva Convention.[146]
On 28 April, seven Shiite protestors Ali Abdullah Hassan Al Singees, Qasim Hasan Matar Ahmad, Saeed Abduljalil Saeed, Abdulaziz Abdulridha Ibrahim Husain, Isa Abdullah Kadhem Ali, Sayyed Sadiq Ali Mahdi and Husain Jaafar Abdulkareem were convicted in a military court for the killing of two police officers Kashef Ahmed Mandhoor and Mohammed Farooq Abdulsamad Al Balooshi during the operation to evict protesters from the Pearl Roundabout on March 16. The first four defendants were sentenced to death, while the remaining three were sentenced to life imprisonment.[147]
According to a police statement about a crackdown on a crowd of anti-government protesters in the village of Nuwaidrat on 17 May, one protestor was injured in the head followed by the injury of nine policemen deliberately hit by a car.[148] After one of the protesters was injured in the head, his brother got into his car and drove at full speed into the policemen. Of the nine policemen, four were injured seriously and five were wounded less seriously. The police stated that the driver was injured.[148] Other sources claim that there was a fight between police men and that they fired bird-shots on each other.[149]
For the second time since the start of 2011 Bahraini uprising Nabeel Rajab's house was attacked by unknown assailants in the early hours of 21 May.[150] Four gas grenades were fired at the house at 3:30 a.m. Saturday in the village of Bani Jamra, Bahrain, and two broke through the windows in quarters occupied by his brother, Nader, and his family. Human Rights Watch noted that the grenades were manufactured in the United States and were of a type to which only the Bahrain Defense Authorities had access. Now it appears the Bahraini government has found a new supplier. Rajab said: "This time, the grenades were of a smaller dimension than in mid-April, and there were no markings of manufacture."[106][151]
On 22 May, the appeal military court (Appeal National Safety Court) changed the death penalty (originally at 28 April) for protesters Ali Qassim Hassan Mattar Ahmed and Sa'eed Abduljaleel Saeed to life imprisonment while confirming it for Ali Abdulla Hassan Al Sangees and Abdulaziz Abdulredha Ibrahim Hussan.[152]
On 23 May, Nabeel Rajab claimed that his uncle, Moh'd Hassan Moh'd Jawad (65 years) who is an activist was arrested and is currently being tortured, due to his relation to Rajab.[153]
On 29 May, Nabeel Rajab was prevented from traveling to Beirut to attend an IFEX meeting by airport security forces.[154][155][156] In reaction, Nabeel Rajab protested briefly outside airport.[157]
On 31 May, Hamad Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain asked for dialogue without preconditions to begin early July of this year. He was quoted saying: {{cquote|we instruct both the executive and legislative branches to call for a dialogue.. comprehensive, serious dialogue – without preconditions – to begin early July of this year.. recommendations of the dialogue are to be submitted to us and be presented to the constitutional institutions [158]
The same day, the military court (of Bahrain Defence Force) issued an order for Nabeel Rajab president of Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, Ali Salman head of Al Wefaq, Bahrain's biggest political party and 3 of Al Wefaq's resigned MPs: head of the block Abdul-Jalil Khalil, former vice president of lower parliament room Khalil Al-Marzooq and former vice president of legalization committee Mohammed Al-Mizaal.[159][160] The order accused Nabeel Rajab for spreading false news and statements about the situation in Bahrain and promoting to hate and disrespect a specific sect. (see picture). He was also accused to humiliating king of Bahrain.[161] All of them were released in the same day.[162][163]
Several clashes erupted between protestors and security forces across Shia populated areas of Bahrain the day the kingdom officially lifted its state of effective martial law.
Security forces fired tear gas and shotguns on groups of flag-waving protesters who marched in the streets of Duraz on the outskirts of the capital Manama.[164]
Demonstrators marching in Sanabas adjacent to the destroyed Pearl Roundabout demanded more rights for Shia Bahrainis. They were dispersed by police firing tear gas and rubber bullets. Another protest at Bab al-Bahrain after the funeral of a demonstrator injured in March was thwarted by security forces, though no shots were reportedly fired in that confrontation.[165]
Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone says October's reinstated Bahrain Grand Prix is canceled this year as the Persian Gulf nation continues to grapple with reports of human rights violations a week after the king lifted martial law imposed to quell the uprising.[166]
Thousands of Bahrainis attended a rally under the name A Homeland for all (Arabic:وطن الجميع) for political reform. The protest was announced in advance but did not receive government permission, opposition supporters said. It was held in the Shi'ite district of Saar, west of the capital. Police did not stop up to 10,000 people who came to the rally, many in cars, said a Reuters witness. Helicopters flew over protesters raising signs that read "The nation is for everyone."[167][168] Sheik Ali Salman, head of the Shiite political party Wefaq, gave a speech:
| “ | We salute every mother who lived through the fear of having the door of her home kicked in by security forces or her children taken away. We salute every father who participated in the peaceful rallies, We have lived through black months.[168] | ” |
U.S. State Department annual report shows sales of U.S. companies of weapons to Bahrain last year amounted to $112 million, while the exports of 2009 at $88 million. Although transactions involved the sale of military electronics and aircraft, there were contracts for the export of shotguns, pistols, and assault weapons; thus raising the possibility that U.S. weapons were used to suppress the protests and raising questions in Congress that led the ministry to review the permits for exporting weapons to countries in the Middle East.[169]
Ayat Al-Qurmezi was sentenced to one year in prison by the National Safety Court.[123]
On 13 June, the Bahraini government commenced the trials of 47 medical professionals, including some of the country's leading surgeons.[170] Among the defendants of the trial, 24 were doctors and 23 others were either nurses or paramedics.[171] Many of them had worked at the Salmaniya medical complex in Manama, which the prosecutors claimed to have been a coordination point of the uprising where automatic weapons and ammunition had been allegedly hidden.[171] The prosecutors also claimed that they seized the medical complex and detained those inside who disagreed with the opposition.[171] The defendants' lawyers and international human rights activists claimed that the defendants were tortured to extract false confessions.[172] One of the defendants tried to tell the judge that his confession had been extracted under torture, but the judge told him to stop and wait for the due process.[172] Twenty of the defendants pleaded not guilty to charges ranging from stealing medicines to stockpiling weapons.[171]
On 22 June, The Bahraini government sentenced ten pro-democracy activists to life in prison for their role in the uprising.[173][174][175]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Hamad Bin Isa Speech on BTV - 29 June on YouTube | |
The New York Times reported that Saudi Arabia had announced "most" of its troops would leave Bahrain by 4 July 2011.[176]
The Royal Independent Investigation Commission was established by the King to examine the events of the preceding months.[177]
The Iranian Foreign Ministry demanded the withdrawal of Saudi Arabian troops from Bahrain, which had still not occurred as of the time of Tehran's statement. Iran set Saudi Arabian withdrawal as a precondition for dialogue between the two rival Middle Eastern powers.[178]
In Bahrain, Al Wefaq announced it would not participate fully in the "national dialogue" urged by King Hamad. Khalil al-Marzooq, speaking for the movement, said Al Wefaq will boycott committees to discuss economic and social issues while continuing to participate in committees on politics and human rights. Marzooq claimed, "This dialogue will not lead to a solution ... and it does not fulfill the needs to pull Bahrain out of its political crisis."[179]
Ayat Al-Qurmezi was suddenly released and hundreds of people gathered nearby her house in Sadad to welcome her nearby her.[180][181][182] However, her sentence has not been revoked.[183][184] Her family fear that she might be re-arrested, as she has not been pardoned and her release was not the result of an appeal against her one-year sentence.[184] She is currently under house arrest.[185]
Al Wefaq, which had previously declared it would only participate in half of the committees of the "National Dialogue" established by the Bahraini government, pulled out of the negotiations entirely. Party officials said seats were allocated in a way that deliberately marginalized Shi'a Muslims, allotting them 35 out of 300 seats even though Shi'a candidates were elected to nearly half of the seats up for election the previous year. The move suggested that while popular protests had been largely suppressed, the opposition movement continued to push back against the regime.[186]
Al Jazeera English released a fifty-minute documentary film about the Bahraini uprising entitled Bahrain: Shouting in the Dark, which highlights continuing anti-government protests by Bahraini Shias and shows how Facebook was used to target pro-democracy activists – "unmasking Shia traitors" – and catalogues human rights abuses by the regime.[187]
Bahrain protested to its neighbour Qatar about the recent Al Jazeera English documentary film on the uprising. Khamis al-Rumaihi, a Sunni MP, alleged a "hidden agenda" and accused Al Jazeera, owned by the emir of Qatar, of trying to foment unrest and undo the benefits of Bahrain's national dialogue.[187]
Bahrain released ex-MPs Jawad Fairouz and Matar Ibrahim Matar, of the Al Wefaq opposition party.[188]
A Sitra-based correspondent for The Guardian reported that protests and repression in Bahrain were still ongoing, just more quietly than in the heyday of the uprising.[189]
Ahead of a proposed protest march to the site of the former Pearl Roundabout, tanks and police vehicles blocked roads to the site, multiple witnesses reported to the Associated Press.[190] State-run media announced 23 Health Ministry employees in Bahrain would likely lose their jobs over their alleged role during the uprising, while 200 suspended employees would be asked to "temporarily" return to work. It was not immediately clear what the workers to be fired were accused of, or why the suspended workers were being reinstated.[191]
Al Wefaq announced it would boycott September's parliamentary elections, claiming that the elections would not be free and fair and arguing that lack of democratic reforms rendered the lower house of parliament functionally irrelevant, as the upper house, which is constituted by appointed legislators rather than democratically elected ones, can overrule its decisions.[192]
A mob of hundreds of Bahrainis stormed the office of the international Bahrain Commission of Inquiry after local news reported that the commission absolved government officials of wrongdoing over the crackdown, forcing the office's closure. The commission denied the news reports and said its investigation was ongoing.[193]
King Hamad announced a pardon for many protesters, saying that "we today announce that we forgive them" for "abusing us and senior officials in Bahrain". He also outlined a plan under which detainees who had proven abuse by security forces could receive financial compensation. The king said that trials of political dissidents not covered by the pardon would continue, but promised to move military trials of protesters to civil courts.[194]
The government announced that 20-year-old poet Ayat al-Qurmezi, who received a year in prison for using her poetry to criticise the crackdown, was one of the people pardoned by the king.[195]
A 14-year-old boy was reportedly struck and killed by a tear-gas canister while attending an anti-government demonstration in Sitra after morning prayers. Police said they were investigating how the boy died.[196][197]
In what was the largest demonstration in months, thousands of people in Sitra marched in the funeral of the 14-year-old boy reportedly killed by a tear-gas attack. Demonstrators held pictures of the boy and chanted, "Down, Hamad, down!" in reference to the Bahraini monarch.[198]
Riot police clashed with demonstrators in suburbs across Manama. Security forces reportedly raided homes and fired shots in majority Shia neighbourhoods, while demonstrators erected barricades and pelted riot police with rocks.[199]
The "Blockade Bahrain" online campaign called for drivers to block the roads into Manama with their cars on 21 September. Protesters managed to slow traffic to a crawl during rush hour but the protest was largely unsuccessful, with delays at the time not noticeably different from normal rush-hour waits.[200]
Addressing an opposition rally in Tubli, a village south of Manama, Sheikh Ali Salman, head of the Al Wefaq party said, "when we talk about democracy we want democracy like that of Westminster, France, and America, not the democracy of Saddam Hussein, nor the democracy of Zine El Abidine, nor the democracy of Gadhafi."[201]
Clashes were reported Friday in Bahrain's capital on the eve of parliamentary elections in the country. Security forces were sent to rallies to deal with what the Interior Ministry called "illegal acts which resulted from demonstrations," the state news agency reported. An opposition group called The February 14 Coalition said it planned to launch protests on Friday and Saturday in the newly named Martyr's Square, the site formerly known as Pearl Roundabout. "Just like all other freedom-loving people living in real democracies across the globe, we, the people of Bahrain have the right to choose the way in which we are governed," the group said. The Youth Coalition of February 14 announced it would be holding a sit-in demonstration at the same location.[201]
Bahrain held by-elections on 25 September to fill the 18 parliamentary seats left vacant when deputies from the main opposition Al Wefaq party resigned in March 2011. Four seats were won unopposed before votes were cast. The elections were notable as two female candidates became the first two women in Bahrain to win contested parliamentary seats.[202] The elections were boycotted by the Al Wefaq party and other opposition groups. Turnout was recorded at 17.4 percent for the 14 contested districts.[203] The government blamed voter intimidation for low turnout.[204]
A Bahraini court jailed six men for fifteen years convicted of chopping off the tongue of an Asian muezzin in April 2011. Two others were jailed for ten years in the case. Many Asians complained of attacks by alleged members of the Shiite-majority who accuse the Al-Khalifa Sunni ruling-family of naturalising Asian Sunnis to tip the demographic balance in the country.[205]
Mohammed and Ali Mirza of Bahrain's national handball team were jailed for 15 years after being charged with taking part in anti-government protests. Their father said his sons were found guilty of being part of a group of anti-government demonstrators that burned down a farm owned by a member of the ruling family. A military court closed to the public also found the brothers guilty of possessing weapons and stealing money. The Mirza brothers, who played at the handball world championship in January, were among 150 Shiite athletes, coaches and referees detained as part of a crackdown on protesters. Many of them took part in marches organized by athletes in support of the demonstrations.[206]
Voters cast ballots in the second round of the by-elections on 1 October. The elections passed without incident.[207]
A court in Bahrain jailed 14 people for up to 25 years each for the killing of a Pakistani man during the unrest. The prosecutor in the case stated that the court found them guilty of beating the man to death "with a terrorist aim".[208]
Liam Fox, the UK’s Secretary of State for Defence at the time, warned in his speech at the Tory Party conference that Bahrain was in danger of being the “Berlin of the Middle East”. He warned that the country represented a potential flashpoint for regional conflict and suggested that a coordinated, measured process of reform would be the most beneficial way of resolving the current troubles.[209]
On 5 October the Bahraini Attorney General ordered 20 doctors sentenced to prison for “inciting hatred for the regime” and hoarding weapons in the Salmaniya Medical Complex to have their cases re-tried in civilian courts.[210]
Ahmed Jaber, a 16-year-old Bahraini teenager died in a hospital after reportedly being hit in chest, abdomen and upper limb by bird pellet gunshots fired by Bahraini security forces[211] . According to the Interior Ministry, the boy was killed by bird-pellet shot fired following a gathering of 20 people in Abu Saiba who were blocking roads, setting bins on fire and threw Molotov cocktails at security forces when police men intervened to disperse them as authorized.[212] Opposition groups said Jaber was hit by police birdshot and a pellet entered his heart or lungs".[213]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Ahmed Jaber al-Qattan funeral on YouTube | |
Ahmed Jaber's funeral, who had been killed the day before was held afternoon on 7 October. Security forces sat up roadblocks to prevent people from attending the funeral[214] , yet thousands of people attended the funeral which is thought to be one of the largest in months. [215] At least 10,000 people joined the funeral march for Qattan through the villages of Shakoora, Janusan and Karana, many carrying the red and white flags of Bahrain[215] and chanting, "We will redeem you, Bahrain" and "Down with Hamad," a reference to King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, whose family has ruled the island monarchy for nearly 200 years. Qattan was to be buried in Shakoora, his home town. [216]
After the funeral hundreds of mourners marched towards Burgerland roundabout where police forces were present heavily. Security forces opened fire with tear gas, sound grenades and rubber bullets, injuring at least 11 protesters, activists said. A few people in the crowd threw stones at the authorities. [214] More injuries were expected, though the chaotic scene around a makeshift clinic near the clashes made it impossible to verify the number, Al Jazeera's reporter in Bahrain said. [216] Al Jazeera correspondent witnessed three men bearing bleeding wounds thought to have been caused by rubber bullets, while another man had suffered a severe facial injury after being hit by a sound grenade. [216] by night calm had been restored to the capital. [214] Ministry of Interior said "A group of vandals blocked Budaiya road after funeral of Ahmed Jaber, which led to interference of security forces to bring situation to normal". [217]
King Hamad reopened Parliament on 10 October. The new parliament included three new female members elected in the by-elections following al-Wefaq’s withdrawal from official political participation after the unrest. The king praised the increasing role of women in public life.[218]
On 10 October, 3 days after Ahmed's funeral, where the final mourning rituals were supposed to be held in Shakoora, security forces blocked all the roads leading to Shakoora to prevent people from participating in the mourning rituals. Al Jazeera reported that security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets on tens of protesters who were trying to start a demonstration after the end of mourning rituals and that some protesters were arrested.[219]
The Bahrain High Criminal Court fined Mansoor Al-Jamri and three other editors of the independent newspaper Al Wasat, who were accused of publishing fabricated stories between 25 and 29 March. Each was ordered to pay a fine of 1000 dinars ($2652). Prosecutors accused Al-Jamri of inciting fellow Shiites to rise up against the government by publishing fake stories. Al-Jamri said that the fake stories were planted, and published inadvertently.[220]
A group of opposition political societies including Al Wefaq published a document, the Manama Paper, in which they renewed their calls for political reform. The document states the opposition’s intention to continue with popular protests as a way of reaching their goals. The document also calls for a dialogue between the authorities and opposition on the basis of seven principles outlined by the Crown Prince in a 13 March 2011 offer of dialogue.[221] The offer was reportedly rejected on 13 March 2011 by Al Wefaq, who instead preferred to see a new constitution drawn up by an elected assembly.[18](p128)
Protesters held a demonstration in the northern village of Al Dair, calling for the release of hundreds of prisoners.[222]
The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry asked the king on 20 October to allow a month-long delay in the publication of its report. Publication of the report is now expected on 23 November. The BICI claimed that they have an extremely large amount of evidence to examine and therefore need more time.[223]
Hundreds of protesters held a funeral for a young protester killed by a police vehicle. They rallied near a United states naval base before being dispersed by security forces. [224]
The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry was released. The report confirmed the Bahraini government's use of torture and other forms of physical and psychological abuse on detainees.[225]
The report has been criticized for not disclosing the names of individual perpetrators of abuses and extending accountability only to those who actively carried out human rights violations.[226]
Al Jazeera English published a lengthy feature by Matthew Cassel, reporting from the restive Shi'a-majority village of Sanabis. According to the report, the uprising in Sanabis and many other villages near the capital of Manama was still going strong as of early December 2011, with the largest public protests since the lifting of the emergency law taking place after the Peninsula Shield Force withdrew the previous weekend. Cassel characterised the protesters as overwhelmingly peaceful, following the advice of anti-violence activists, but increasingly despairing of the prospects of effecting governmental changes without taking up arms.[227] Cassel's report included photographs of Bahraini activists marching in the streets, carrying homemade riot shields, waving the national flag, fleeing from security forces, and having injuries treated in home clinics.[228]
Clashes erupted between the Bahraini security forces and people attending a religious procession in Muharraq, leading to the arrests of some men. Hundreds of Shiites took part in the procession ahead of the religious festival of Ashoora in Muharraq in northern Bahrain.[229]
Bahraini security forces attack the headquarters of al-Wefaq and use tear gas on protesters in Manama. Clerics also insist that the government is targeting protesters because they are attempting to divide the protest movement, which is made up of both Sunnis and Shias.[230]
On 30 December, amateur video was posted to YouTube that appeared to show individuals throwing Molotov cocktails at policemen in Nuwaidrat.[231]
During protests on the island of Sitra on New Year's Eve against the government, a 15-year-old boy named Sayed Hashim Saeed was allegedly killed by a tear gas canister fired by police impacting his chest at close range.[232] Saeed's death brought the confirmed death toll from the uprising in 2011 to 35.[233]
At the Sitra funeral of a 15-year-old boy named Sayed Hashim Saeed allegedly killed by security forces earlier in the weekend, thousands marched to decry the royal government of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. They were met by riot police, who fired tear gas, rubber bullets, and stun grenades against the demonstrators, as many as several hundred of whom hurled Molotov cocktails back at them.[232] The government questioned the account of Saeed's death, which purportedly resulted from injuries sustained by a close-quarters blow to the chest and burns across his body from a propelled tear gas canister, and said it would investigate.[233] Meanwhile, the new Bahraini police chief said 500 new officers would be hired "from all sections of Bahrain society", an apparent reference to demonstrators' complaints of systemic job discrimination against Shi'a Muslims.[232]
2011's Formula 1 race was called off due to the civil unrest. But Bahrain's troubles seem to be persisting still, with violence near the now-famous Pearl Square marking the parliamentary elections at the weekend. According to veteran Swiss correspondent Roger Benoit, writing in the Blick newspaper, Turkey has been put on standby should Bahrain's late April event be called off in 2012.[234]
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