SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) — Witnesses in Bahrain say riot police have clashed with anti-government protesters seeking to shift their demonstrations to the heart of the Gulf kingdom's capital. Security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades in street battles near the historic markets and narrow streets in the center of Manama. The clashes Friday mark the second such violence in Manama in the past month as Shiite-led protesters try to rattle the Sunni monarchy by bringing rallies back into the capital. Most clashes in recent months have occurred in outlying areas.More than 50 people have been killed in unrest since February 2011 between Bahrain's Western-backed rulers and majority Shiites seeking a greater political voice.
Report of RT :
At least 29 people have been arrested in the Bahraini capital, as police clashed with anti-government protests, firing tear gas and stun grenades. The skirmishes occurred as peaceful demonstrators tried to march towards the center of Manama.There were no immediate reports of casualties. This is the second bout of clashes this month, as the Shiite majority calls for greater rights and democracy from the Sunni monarchy. The clashes on Friday come despite Bahrain's leadership agreeing on Wednesday to accept most of the UN’s human rights recommendations, pledging to suppress ethnic violence and improve its treatment of political activists.
"Use of excessive force is still a tool for suppressing daily protests, with unprecedented use of tear gas during protests and inside residential areas," Maryam al-Khawaja, the acting president of Bahrain Center for Human Rights, said on the sidelines of a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday.
The tiny Gulf kingdom has seen massive anti-government demonstrations and violent crackdown by government forces with more than 50 people being killed since February 2011.
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