Bahrain Detains Protesters Using Molotov Cocktails, BNA Says
January 25, 2012, 10:50 PM ESTBy Donna Abu-Nasr
(Updates with U.S. Navy comment in fifth paragraph.)
Jan. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Bahrain authorities detained groups of protesters for closing several streets nationwide and using metal rods and Molotov cocktails in confrontations with police, the state-run Bahrain News Agency said today.
Those arrested will be prosecuted, BNA quoted Chief of Public Security Major-General Tariq al-Hassan as saying.
Tensions in the island nation persist almost a year after the outbreak of protests led by members of the Shiite Muslim majority demanding a more representative government and greater rights from the country’s Sunni Muslim rulers. Thirty-five people died between Feb. 14 and April 15, according to the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, which investigated the unrest. Neighboring Saudi Arabia, also a Sunni monarchy, sent troops to Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, to help restore order.
Protesters took to the streets in several villages yesterday in response to calls by opposition groups for unauthorized rallies dubbed the Bahrain Fist. Recent rallies have turned violent, with demonstrators throwing Molotov cocktails and police using tear gas and rubber bullets.
The U.S. State Department has said that embassy employees who live near an area that has seen an increase in demonstrations are being relocated to other neighborhoods. The U.S. Navy is aware of the travel advisory issued by the embassy and is examining options for personnel living in that area if needed, Jennifer Stride, a public affairs officer, said in response to an e-mailed question.
“We continue to monitor the situation and advise our personnel to avoid areas where protests occur,” she said.
Request Rejected
Al-Hassan said yesterday that a request by opposition groups to hold a protest today in a busy commercial area of the capital, Manama, has been turned down. Several unauthorized rallies have recently been held there, resulting in traffic jams and increased police presence.
Al-Wefaq, the largest Shiite group, said in a statement late yesterday that the opposition retains its right to protest peacefully in any location to “express popular demands to end the era of dictatorship and call for democratic changes.”
--Editors: Ben Holland, Karl Maier, Jennifer Freedman
To contact the reporter on this story: Donna Abu Nasr in Manama at dabunasr@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net
