Bahraini protesters want detained activists freed

On Friday, the protesters took to the streets in the northeastern island of Sitra as well as the villages of Samaheej, Malkiya and Abu Saiba, demanding the release of the men and women arrested by regime forces over the past few days.

Reports say a six-month-old infant and the baby’s mother were among the people recently detained in the Persian Gulf Kingdom.

Similar protests were also organized on Thursday in Sitra and the western village of Karzakan, where Bahraini security guards fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.

Since mid-February 2011, thousands of protesters have held numerous demonstrations in the streets of Bahrain, calling on the royal family to relinquish power.

In March 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to Bahrain to help Manama quash the anti-regime protests.

Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.

The Persian Gulf Arab state has been under criticism by human rights groups for its harsh crackdown on anti-government protesters.

In June, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights censured the Manama regime for human rights violations. A total of 46 members of the international body expressed deep concern over the Al Khalifa regime’s crackdown on peaceful protesters.

HK