Bahraini Regime Accused of Using Extremists to Suppress Peaceful Protests
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Bahrain’s February 14th Youth Coalition has accused Al Khalifa regime of bringing in extremists from Jordan and Pakistan to crack down on peaceful pro-democracy protesters in the tiny Persian Gulf Monarchy.
In the statemen, the opposition group emphasized that the people of Bahrain will not give in to such threats.
“The Bahraini regime has brought these extremists from Jordan, Pakistan, and other countries to suppress the people,” it added.
Bahrain was rocked by massive popular protests in 2011. Although the government, backed by Saudi Arabia, managed to suppress the protests very quickly, security forces continue to attack peaceful protesters who want an end to the rule of Al Khalifa royal dynasty.
Al Khalifa regime has been severely criticized by human rights groups for its harsh crackdown on anti-regime protests.
Since mid-February 2011, thousands of anti-regime protesters have held numerous demonstrations in the streets of Bahrain, calling for political reforms.
In March 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to Bahrain to help Manama quash the anti-regime protests.
The Saudi-backed crackdown on protesters turned people's demands into calls for the downfall of the regime.
Scores of people have been killed and hundreds of others injured in the Manama regime’s ongoing crackdown on peaceful anti-regime rallies. The regime has also detained many protesters, including students.
Amnesty International has voiced concerns over the “continuing detention of prisoners of conscience and the harsh sentences” given by courts in the Persian Gulf country to protesters.
