Bahrain protesters clash with police after funeral
- 12 years ago
(ROUGH CUT ONLY - NO REPORTER NARRATION)
Bahraini protesters threw petrol bombs and stones on Wednesday (October 3) at riot police who were trying to disperse them after the funeral of a man who was allegedly killed in clashes with police.
Hundreds of people gathered for the funeral of 17-year-old Ali Hasan Naema, who is said to have died of a birdshot wound in clashes with police four days ago.
Clashes between police and protesters still occur almost daily in Bahrain, after last year's uprising. The protesters, mainly from the Shi'ite majority, had demanded a bigger role for elected representatives and less power for the ruling al-Khalifa family, who are Sunni Muslims. Some Shi'ite groups sought an end to the monarchy.
Shi'ites complain of discrimination in the electoral system, jobs, housing, education and government departments including the police and army. They say government assertions that it is addressing those concerns have produced no action.
A commission of international legal experts reported in November that torture had been systematically used on protesters to punish and extract hundreds of confessions. Among its many recommendations were reviewing activists' jail sentences.
The government has denounced the protest movement as sectarian and part of a quest by Shi'ite Iran to dominate the region. Iran denies involvement and Bahraini Shi'ites deny being steered from Tehran.
Bahraini protesters threw petrol bombs and stones on Wednesday (October 3) at riot police who were trying to disperse them after the funeral of a man who was allegedly killed in clashes with police.
Hundreds of people gathered for the funeral of 17-year-old Ali Hasan Naema, who is said to have died of a birdshot wound in clashes with police four days ago.
Clashes between police and protesters still occur almost daily in Bahrain, after last year's uprising. The protesters, mainly from the Shi'ite majority, had demanded a bigger role for elected representatives and less power for the ruling al-Khalifa family, who are Sunni Muslims. Some Shi'ite groups sought an end to the monarchy.
Shi'ites complain of discrimination in the electoral system, jobs, housing, education and government departments including the police and army. They say government assertions that it is addressing those concerns have produced no action.
A commission of international legal experts reported in November that torture had been systematically used on protesters to punish and extract hundreds of confessions. Among its many recommendations were reviewing activists' jail sentences.
The government has denounced the protest movement as sectarian and part of a quest by Shi'ite Iran to dominate the region. Iran denies involvement and Bahraini Shi'ites deny being steered from Tehran.