Hundreds of Bahraini Shiites clash with riot police on coronation day
2007-12-17 22:27:40 –
MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) – Police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of Bahrain’s Shiites holding a rally Monday outside the capital Manama marking the death of one of their countrymen more than ten years earlier, witnesses and rights activists reported.
The demonstration, which may have resulted in a fatality, coincided with the tiny island kingdom’s second day of celebrations marking the ruler’s coronation.
Hundreds of Bahraini Shiites clash with riot police on coronation day
2007-12-17 22:27:40 –
MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) – Police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of Bahrain’s Shiites holding a rally Monday outside the capital Manama marking the death of one of their countrymen more than ten years earlier, witnesses and rights activists reported.
The demonstration, which may have resulted in a fatality, coincided with the tiny island kingdom’s second day of celebrations marking the ruler’s coronation.
Abdul-Jalil al-Singace, head of the Haq human rights group, told The Associated Press by phone from London, that one protester, 30-year-old Ali Jassem, died after inhaling large amounts of tear gas.
Family members who spoke to AP said Jassem died following his return home just minutes after taking part in the rally.
The Bahraini Interior Ministry, however, said in a statement that the man died of «natural causes» according to medical reports.
«There was no direct contact with the demonstrators,» Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Mohammed bin Daina said to AP, saying there was no evidence that the deceased had been beaten by police or even taken part in the demonstration.
«Regrettably, this gathering was illegal and not permitted,» he said describing the protesters as «outlaws» who blocked roads forcing police to get involved.
Late in the evening, hundreds of Bahrainis gathered in front of al-Salmaniyah Hospital asking for the corpse of Jassem.
Abdul-Hadi al-Khawaja, the head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights who was at the morgue said that bruises could be seen over Jassem’s dead body.
«I am looking at blue marks and bruises on his hands and chest,» said al-Khawaja by telephone while he stood next to the body, «but I can’t tell that he was beaten, I am not a doctor.
Jassem’s brother Hassan spoke to the AP from the morgue saying «I was told by several witnesses that he (Ali) was seen at the protest being beaten up by police.
According to witnesses, security forces prevented the demonstrators from entering the capital and when protesters instead marched through three nearby villages, riot police fired tire gas and rubber bullets to disperse them.
The demonstrations took place in al-Malkiyah village, some 12 kilometers (7 miles) west of the capital Manama, as well as Daih and Sanabis, east of the capital, where demonstrators set fire to tires and garbage bins.
According to al-Singace, the crowd carried pictures for the 1990s martyrs and banners criticizing the royal family.
The rally was held to commemorate the political upheaval that began in 1994 and lasted for several years, when more than 40 people, including Asian residents had died.
Shiite Arabs, who make up a majority of Bahrain’s population, waged an occasionally violent campaign that included arson attacks calling for a return to democracy and against perceived discrimination by the Sunni ruling family.
The tiny Persian Gulf kingdom is a close U.S. ally. The oil-refining and banking island also hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet
