Bahrain Live Blog from AL JAZEERA 21APR12

 I am ashamed of my government's, the American government's continuing support of the brutal and bloody dictatorship in Bahrain and their hypocrisy on the killings, beatings, torture, repression and imprisonment of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Bahrain (to keep port access for the US Navy 5th Fleet) while they condemn (rightfully so) the same in Syria. It is a sad comment on the immorality of our foreign policy.
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/Bahrain 

Bahrain's 2012 Grand Prix race will take place despite appeals by rights groups for another cancellation [Photo: AFP]

One year after the pro-democracy uprising began on February 14, protests against the ruling al-Khalifa monarchy continue across Bahrain.
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4 hours 56 min ago - Bahrain

Bahrain's Ministry of Interior released a statement on Saturday evening that it would launch an investigation into the death of Salah Abbas Habib who activists say was killed by police. Here is the statement in full:

The Chief of Public Security Major-General Tariq Al Hasan announced that the operations room received a call at 8:10am on Saturday regarding the body of a deceased person in a garden in Shakhura. The police and crime scene investigators immediately went to the scene and launched an investigation.

The death was determined to have happened under suspicious circumstances. The public prosecutor was immediately notified and the medical examiner was sent to the scene.

The name of the deceased is Salah Abbas Habib Musa, 36. The Chief said more details would be released as they become known. He reminded everyone, both journalists and the public, to wait for the facts to be established and not to believe unconfirmed reports on social media channels.

Tags Formula One

6 hours 22 min ago - Bahrain

Video uploaded to Youtube reportedly shows "February 14" opposition activists blocking off a highway in Bahrain on Saturday.

Tags Formula One

6 hours 30 min ago - Bahrain

Reports emerged on Saturday that Mohammed Hasan, a Bahraini fixer who has worked with various news agencies including Al Jazeera, was injured and arrested during pro-democracy protests on Friday night. This news has since been confirmed by his family. Below is video showing Moahmed Hasan when he appeared on US journalist Dan Rather's program. Below the video are tweets from Dan Rather with an update on Hasan from Bahraini activist Ala'a Shehabi.

DanRatherReportUpdate: Last night Mohammed Hasan, the fixer we worked with in #Bahrain, was hit w/a stun grenade, beaten & arrested. Whereabouts unknown.Sat Apr 21 15:45:26 2012

alaashehabi@DanRatherReport @Moawen he just called his family. He is in Dry Dock. Accused of participating in an illegal gathering & vandalismSat Apr 21 16:17:24 2012

6 hours 36 min ago - Bahrain

This tweet earlier is from Dr. Fatima Haji, one of the medics sentenced to prison last year:

drFatimaHjMy 3yrs old son, my husband and I are suffocating in our flat in Bani Jamra as security forces are shooting tear gas in Duraz!! #F1 #BahrainSat Apr 21 15:12:30 2012

8 hours 25 min ago - Bahrain

A new video by Witness Bahrain illustrates a story told by Zainab al-Akhawaja after a recent phone conversation with her father and jailed hunger striker, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja.

Tags Abdulhadi alKhawaja, hunger strike

8 hours 48 min ago - Bahrain

This video uploaded to Youtube reportedly shows a person filming police as they prepare to remove the body of Salah Abbas Habib from a rooftop in the village of Shakoura, Bahrain. The police can be heard shouting at the man asking him what he's doing, when he replies that he's filming a number of shots can be heard before the camera stops recording. The last part of the video appears to show blood on the rooftop after Habib's body was removed.

11 hours 58 min ago - Bahrain

In a statement on social networking website Twitter, the interior ministry confirmed the death and said authorities have begun investigation into the incident.

Tags Bahrain Shia activists, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa King of Bahrain

12 hours 4 min ago - Bahrain

The main opposition bloc, al-Wefaq, said on Saturday that a Bahraini man was found dead after clashes with riot police in the village of Shakhoura, a day before Formula One Grand Prix race.
Wefaq named the dead demonstrator as Salah Abbas Habib, 37, and said his body was found on the roof of a building. It said Habib was part of a group who were beaten by police during clashes late on Friday night.
Witnesses told AFP news agency that security forces fired tear gas and sound bombs to disperse dozens of people who gathered at the area where Habib's body was found.

Tags Manama, shia protesters

14 hours 3 min ago - Bahrain

Matar Matar, former MP representing the al-Wefaq bloc in Bahrain has tweeted about death of a man.

AmberLyonRT: “@Matar_Matar: Wefaq confirms the death of protester Salah Al Qattan, 37 yr old, killed by #Bahrain police 1 day before #F1”Sat Apr 21 09:45:07 2012

Tags F1, F1 Grand Prix, Shia protests

16 hours 50 min ago - Bahrain

Our correspondent in Manama says it was relatively quiet on Friday night, after police dispersed a protest.
"There was some unrest in a few Shia villages and a few arrests made. This morning some villages have been closing access roads to them by setting fires."
Widespread protests are expected in Shia villages this evening, as well as a rally in the capital.

Tags protests

1 day 7 hours ago - Bahrain

Physicians for Human Rights is calling attention to "ongoing abuses" in Bahrain, in regards to fears that use of tear gas by security forces could cause long term health problems.
In their press release, PHR's Deputy Director Richard Sollom said:
"Despite promises of reform since our investigation to the Kingdom last year, the Government’s excessive use of force has only increased. Security forces now strategically use tear gas – its innocuous-sounding name belies its deadliness – as a potentially lethal weapon against men, women, children, and the elderly alike. More troubling is the Government’s pattern of attack. Not only do security forces target street protesters, they go out of their way to shoot or throw tear gas into civilian homes. We may be beginning to see serious longer-term health consequences among people routinely exposed to high doses of this toxic gas. Based on our findings, PHR is concerned about possible increased rates of miscarriage and birth defects in Bahrain."

Tags Physicians for Human Rights

1 day 8 hours ago - Bahrain

Cancelling Sunday's Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix would only "empower extremists", the country's Crown Prince told reporters on Friday as police in the small Gulf state battled to put down pro-democracy protests.
Prince Salman did not respond directly to questions about whether he could guarantee the safety of teams, however, saying instead that he was able to guarantee that the protests were not directed against Formula One.
Standing alongside Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone at the Sakhir circuit, the Crown Prince made it clear to the assembled TV crews that calls from home and abroad for the race to be scrapped would fall on deaf ears.
"I think cancelling the race just empowers extremists," he declared, without specifying exactly who he had in mind.
"For those of us trying to navigate a way out of this political problem, having the race allows us to build bridges across communities, to get people working together. It allows us to celebrate our nation. It is an idea that is positive, not one that is divisive."   [Reuters]

Tags Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One, Sakhir

1 day 8 hours ago - Bahrain

Al Jazeera's special correspondent, who cannot be named for security reasons, reported from Manama, Bahrain, on Friday afternoon, after being tear gassed while following a group of protesters. This is what he said:
"I'm now inside a shopping mall where a good deal of the protesters are now taking cover from the tear gas and riot police who are outside now.
"I would say about 3000 people gathered with banners and chanting for freedom and democracy and dignity.
"That demonstration has now been effectively disrupted by the police.
"I think there's too much money involved in this and I think we're too far down the road for them to cancel [the Formula 1 race which activists are protesting against]."
Our correspondent also sent in these images of the protest from Friday, before security forces deployed tear gas.
http://youtu.be/6r14NNMIWJ0 

Tags Manama

1 day 13 hours ago - Bahrain

The Force India Formula One team will limit their involvement in second practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix and may skip the session altogether for safety reasons, Bob Fernley, the deputy team principal, told reporters. 

He said the team, some of whose members were caught in a petrol bomb incident after leaving the track on Wednesday, would take part in Saturday's qualifying and Sunday's race as scheduled however.

Al Jazeera's correspondent in the capital Manama, who we are not naming due to reporting restrictions imposed by Bahrain's government, said the team "do not want to be travelling after dark".

The announcement also comes amid reports that anti-government protests will start at 4pm local time, about 30 minutes after practice ends.

Swiss-based Sauber revealed their Bahrain Grand Prix mechanics had also witnessed the fiery incident.

Sauber said in a statement that the mechanics had seen flames in the road after they left the Sakhir circuit in a minibus on Thursday night to return to their hotel in Manama.

"At 20:50 hrs the 12 mechanics being on that bus noticed fire on the medial strip of the highway. The traffic was slow, cars had their hazard flashers on," the Formula One team said.

"On the opposite lane there was no traffic. The team members saw a few masked people running from there over to their lane where a bottle was burning as well. The minibus moved to the very right side of the highway and went past the situation."

While international sports correspondents are in Bahrain for the race, non-sports reporters from various other news organisations have not been granted visas to visit the Gulf island.
Click here to read our latest news story on Bahrain.

For more of Al Jazeera's special coverage visit our spotlight page - Bahrain Protests[Force India's German driver Nico Hulkenberg arrives in the pits on Friday, during first practice session at the Bahrain International Circuit in Manama ahead of the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix - Photo: AFP]

Tags Anti government protests, Bob Fernley, F1 Grand Prix, Force India Formula, Manama

1 day 14 hours ago - Bahrain

Bahraini security forces have clashed with protesters against Bahrain's controversial Grand Prix in mainly Shia villages despite increasing security for the start of practice sessions.

The overnight clashes between protesters and security forces across Shia villages continued into the early morning on Friday, witnesses said.

Formula One cars took to the track in Bahrain at about 07:00 GMT, with the government hoping for a successful Grand Prix, while activists are promising to mark it with "days of rage" after more than a year of Arab Spring protests.

"The people want to topple the regime," chanted dozens of protesters carrying pictures of jailed hunger striker Abdulhadi al-Khawaja. "Down Hamad," they called, referring to Bahrain's king, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Met by tear gas and sound bombs, the protesters responded by hurling petrol bombs at security forces, witnesses said.

Mohammed Al-Maskati, president of Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, told Al Jazeera the mood in Manama in the run-up to Sunday's race was one of "anger".

He said the protesters "are very angry that [the] Formula One [race] was not cancelled - they want to send a message to say that sports must not support dictatorships and human rights violations".

Al Jazeera's correspondent in the capital Manama, who we are not naming due to reporting restrictions imposed by Bahrain's government, said a protest by anti-government demonstrators "will be held later today on the main highway in capital, where they will come out in force to show the world that Formula One really is not welcome here".

He said many were plagued with "security concerns".

"Most tourists and Formula One spectators are choosing to stay away from this race because it is just too controversial for them, I think people feel their security and personal wellbeing, cannot be guaranteed enough to make the trip worthwhile."

Continue reading our news story Clashes in Bahrain ahead of F1 race for more context.

For more of Al Jazeera's special coverage visit our spotlight page - Bahrain Protests.[Clashes have been building in week leading to Sunday's round of World Championship - Photo: Reuters] 

Tags activists, Bahraini security forces, clashes, F1 Grand Prix, protests

1 day 18 hours ago - Bahrain

While international sports correspondents are in Bahrain for the race, non-sports reporters from the Reuters news agency and some other news organisations have not been granted visas to visit the Gulf island.

According to reports, journalists from the Associated Press news agency, the AFP news agency, and Sky News have also been prevented from entering the country.
An AFP photographer, accredited by the sport's governing body, the FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile), was informed by Bahrain's information affairs authority that there has been a "delay to your visa application, so it might not be processed".
Associated Press said two of its Dubai-based journalists were prevented from covering the Grant Prix because they could not receive entry visas, despite being accredited by the FIA.
Meanwhile, according to the AFP, cameramen already in Bahrain were required to keep fluorescent orange stickers on their cameras so that they would be easily recognisable to ensure they do not cover any off-track events, such as ongoing protests.
Simeon Kerr, from the Financial Times, tweeted last night that he was denied access to Bahrain to cover the Formula One:

simeonkerrback in Dubai after #Bahrain refused #FT entry at airport. shame to have to cover this vital #F1 weekend at a distance.Thu Apr 19 19:38:38 2012

Tags Accredited journalists, Bahrain information affairs authority, F1 Grand Prix, Press restrictions, Visa denial

1 day 18 hours ago - Bahrain

Formula One cars take to the track in Bahrain today with the government hoping a successful Grand Prix will draw a line under more than a year of Arab Spring protests and activists promising to mark the motor race with "days of rage". 

On the eve of the first practice session, police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse demonstrators on Thursday in the kind of clashes that have built up in the week leading to Sunday's round of the World Championship.

Bahrain has been in turmoil since a democracy movement erupted last year following uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.

Protests were initially crushed with the loss of dozens of lives, but youths still clash daily with riot police in Shia Muslim districts and thousands take part in opposition rallies. 

Two members of the British-based Force India team asked to go home after seeing burning of petrol bombs in what thegovernment described as an isolated incident.

"A number of rioters and vandals had been arrested for taking part in illegal rallies and gatherings, blocking roads and endangering people's lives by attacking them with petrol bombs, iron rods and stones," the Information Affairs Authority said in a statement, citing Major General Tariq al-Hassan.

However, activists accused the kingdom's rulers of using the motor race to improve their international image. 

"Formula One in Bahrain has been taken as PR for the ruling elite, the repressive dictators who are ruling the country," activist Nabeel Rajab told a news conference.

Bahrain's ruling al-Khalifa family hopes the race will offer an opportunity to tell the world that life is returning to normal. 

Large sums of money are stake this weekend. Last year, Bahrain paid a "hosting fee" of $40m despite cancelling the race. The Grand Prix drew 100,000 visitors to the nation of just 1.3 million and generated half a billion dollars in spending when it was last held two years ago. 

[Source: Reuters]

Click here to read our latest news story on Bahrain.
For more of Al Jazeera's special coverage visit our spotlight page - Bahrain Protests.Anti-Formula One graffiti in the Bahraini village of Barbar, west of Manama, which reads, "Boycott F1 in Bahrain, you will race on the blood of martyrs": 

Tags Bahraini police, F1 Grand Prix, Formula One, Manama, protests

2 days 10 hours ago - Bahrain

BBC reports that Force India were forced to flee after petrol bombs were hurled over their vehicle.

Tags Bahrain Grand Prix, BBC, F1 Gran Prix

2 days 13 hours ago - Switzerland

Activists are calling on Formula One team Sauber to carry a pro-democracy sticker saying ``No Guns Against Voices'' on its cars at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday.

The GSoA group, which campaigns for Switzerland to abolish its army, was presenting the Swiss team with the 5-foot decals bearing the slogan at the team's headquarters on Thursday.

Campaign spokesman Jonas Zuercher told The Associated Press the message could be displayed on the rear wing of cars driven by Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi.

Zuercher claims Bahrain is playing "image politics" by staging the race while the Gulf kingdom is suppressing pro democracy protests.

Zuercher says Sauber could "make a sign" to the people of Bahrain.

Tags Bahrain, Bahrain Grand Prix, Formula One, Sauber

3 days 1 hour ago - Bahrain

A group of British MPs have launched a campaign calling for this weekend's Formula One motor race in Bahrain to be called off, while thousands of activists continue to protest in the country.
However, the Chairman of the track where the race will be held says the protests are not as important as international media are making them out to be.
Al Jazeera speaks to Fahad al Binali from the Bahrain Information Affairs Authority; Zayed el Zayani, chairman of the Bahrain international circuit; and Nabeel Rajab, head of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights.

Many Bahraini Protesters Angry With United States 21MAR11

IRAN must be feeling very good about their reputation in the Gulf right now, especially with the West coming to the aid of government opponents in Libya while ignoring the violence of the Bahraini government against it's own people and the invasion of Bahrain by Saudi Arabia....

by Frank Langfitt

Listen to the Story

All Things Considered

[3 min 59 sec]

Hasan Jamali/AP Anti-government protesters demonstrate in front of the Saudi Embassy in Manama, Bahrain, on March 15. Frenzied clashes swept Bahrain a day after a Saudi-led military force entered the country to help defend the Sunni monarchy from a Shiite-led protest movement.

Last week's crackdown on protesters in Bahrain has left many in the capital, Manama, angry with the United States.
They say they believe the White House tacitly approved the attacks on demonstrators and put its strategic interests over democratic principles.
On Friday at the Sadiq Mosque in Manama, the preacher recounted the week's extraordinary events. Sheik Issa Qassim criticized Bahrain's royal family for sending in soldiers and police to crush an anti-government rebellion — an assault that left at least seven dead and hundreds wounded.
Then, he criticized the United States for not doing more to prevent it.
"They have influence they're not using to save the people here," he said.
Walking out of the mosque, one of the worshippers, Isa Ashoor, agreed. "Everybody is thinking America gave them the green light to beat the Bahraini people," he said.
America is Bahrain's most powerful ally.
Ashoor, who works in the airline industry, said if America warned the royal family against smashing the demonstrators, it would have been more reluctant to do.
He noted that U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates came here recently to assess the situation. Soon afterward, Saudi troops drove onto the island at the royal family's request to help crush the rebellion.
Ashoor says he feels differently about the United States today from the way he did a few weeks ago. "We was happy with them, they was a friend to us," he said. "But now the U.S.A. government, we are saying they are bad."
Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said she was alarmed by the violence in Bahrain and deplored the use of force.
Marc Toner, the acting deputy spokesman for the State Department, said, "There's no way to resolve this situation through security or excessive force. This needs a political — there needs to be a political dialogue that leads to a political resolution, essentially. But we're deeply troubled by reports of injuries and deaths of civilians."
But protesters in Manama say it's not what Washington said. It's what it didn't say.
When Saudi troops rolled across the causeway into Bahrain, the White House didn't publicly tell them to turn around. Saudi Arabia, a close American ally and the world's largest oil exporter, is frightened that protests in Bahrain could encourage more unrest among its own people.
A businessman who gave only his first name, Ghani, said the United States supports monarchies in the region because they provide stability.
"I know there are clashes between your interests and your values. Where is your democracy values? Where is it? We want to see these values," he said.
Ghani is a Shiite Muslim, one of the majority in Bahrain. Shiites say they are treated like second-class citizens by the ruling Sunni minority.
They said they were protesting to end discrimination and replace the monarchy with a democratic system.
But, Ghani said, the United States has more pressing concerns. Bahrain, a tiny island, is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. "Maybe they think the 5th Fleet here will not be protected by a democratic government," he said.
The 5th Fleet's main job is to protect the crucial shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf. And that's not lost on Ghani. "The stock of the world oil here, 25 percent of it available in the Gulf ... so American needs to protect this area because they want to maintain their oil. And they think, they think the government protect their interest in this regard," he said.
After weeks of protests, the government of Bahrain has now retaken control of the capital. The United States continues to urge a dialogue between the opposition and the monarchy. But that won't be easy.
Seven political opposition leaders are already under arrest.

Bahrain tears down protest symbol 18MAR11

IT  is unfortunate the government in Bahrain has decided it is better to kill protesters calling for reform and the creation of a constitutional monarchy, freedom and democracy than to actually meet the majorities demands, set a date for parliamentary elections and adopt the Declaration of Human Rights in to the Bahrain constitution. This from Al Jazeera, click the header to go to their blog for updates in Bahrain.

Government demolishes statue in the centre of Manama where anti-government movement has gathered.

Sheikh Khaled said security is a priority and denied any "systematic violence against the people" [Reuters] Authorities in Bahrain have torn down the statue at the centre of Pearl roundabout in the capital, Manama, where pro-democracy protests were held for weeks. The concrete statue of six dhow sails holding up a pearl was demolished using drills and diggers on Friday. Al Jazeera's special correspondent reports on the anger sparked off by deaths in the recent violence The move came as security forces launched a crackdown on the protest camp, with thousands defying a ban on public gatherings to mourn the death of a protester during the recent violence. Bahrain has arrested seven opposition leaders after weeks of protests that saw martial law being declared and troops from Saudi Arabia entering the tiny kingdom. Weeks of protests – sometimes in violent clashes with security forces – by the Shia majority slid into sectarian violence and crippled the economy. On Friday Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa, Bahrain's foreign minister, said the demolition of the statue was an effort to erase "bad memories". He reiterated Bahrain's commitment to talks with the opposition but said security was a priority, and that three or four Gulf states were sending troops and will remain in the city until order is restored. Speaking to reporters in Manama, Sheikh Khaled said their role will be limited to guarding strategic assets such as oil facilities, and they will not be involved in quelling protests. Limited role "We look with all confidence to the return of normal life in Bahrain," he said. "We know dialogue is our path." Denying there was any "systematic violence against the people" Sheikh Khaled said the royals had done their utmost to push for dialogue, allowing protests and offering assurances, but the opposition had rejected talks and started blocking main streets, while civilians began to clash daily. "In volatile situations you do expect violence to happen but there is no systematic violence against the people," he added. "The government wants to break our will so we give up our calls for substantial and meaningful reforms, but they will never break our will. They can use tanks and planes to smash our bodies but will never break our souls and our will for reforms" Sheikh Issa Qassim, most influential Shia cleric in Bahrain In all, three protesters have died in the security sweep. Three policemen were also killed, hit by cars driven by demonstrators. Thousands of angry mourners buried an activist killed in a crackdown that has angered Iran and raised tension in the world's largest oil-exporting region. Sheikh Issa Qassim, Bahrain's most influential Shia cleric, said during Friday sermon that Gulf troops would have been better off helping Palestinians in Gaza than entering Bahrain. "The violence of the authorities has created a deep, wide and dangerous wound between the government and people," he said. "The government wants to break our will so we give up our calls for substantial and meaningful reforms, but they will never break our will. They can use tanks and planes to smash our bodies but will never break our souls and our will for reforms." Psychological victory The statue that was demolished comprised six sails symbolising each of the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, holding up a pearl, symbol of the pearl fishing heritage that was the economic mainstay of the region before the discovery of oil. "It is a kind of psychological victory for the protesters," said Hussein Oraibi, who works in telecommunications. "It upset them so much that people were gathering there, they had to go out of their way to pull this down and change the traffic directions." Al Jazeera's correspondent in Bahrain, speaking anonymously for safety reasons, said the monument "was the centre of the protests for a month; it was seen as being symbolic of anti-government sentiment. "It seems rather strange that by removing it there is the thought that that symbolism will disappear ... [The destruction] is very symbolic of that final stage in the last couple of days of this huge great crackdown on the opposition." More than 60 per cent of Bahrainis are Shia, and most are campaigning for a constitutional monarchy. But calls by hardliners for the overthrow of the monarchy have alarmed Sunnis, who fear the unrest serves Iran, separated from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain by only a short stretch of Gulf waters. Shia Muslim power Iran, which supports Shia groups in Iraq and Lebanon, complained to the United Nations and asked other neighbours to join it in urging Saudi Arabia to withdraw from Bahrain. In a sign of rising tension, Bahrain condemned Iran for what it says is interference in the country's internal affairs.

Bahrain Protests: Police Storm Protest, Army Controls 'Key Parts' Of City 17FEB11

THE people of Bahrain have had enough, and like others in the Gulf region, the people of Yemen, the people of the Maghreb, their non-violent protest for freedom and democracy are being met with brutality and violence by the governments in power. We can only hope and pray the people are as successful as their sisters and brothers in Tunisia and Egypt were. This from the Huffington Post....

MANAMA, Bahrain — Army patrols and tanks locked down the capital of this tiny Gulf kingdom after riot police swinging clubs and firing tear gas smashed into demonstrators, many of them sleeping, in a pre-dawn assault Thursday that uprooted their protest camp demanding political change. Medical officials said four people were killed. (Scroll down for latest updates.)
Hours after the attack on Manama's main Pearl Square, the military announced on state TV that it had "key parts" of the capital under its control and that gatherings were banned.
The developments marked a major crackdown by the island nation's rulers to put an end to days of protests inspired by Egypt's revolt against Hosni Mubarak. Tiny Bahrain is a pillar of Washington's military framework in the region. It hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which is a critical counterbalance to Iran's efforts to expand its clout in the region.
The capital Manama was effectively shut down Thursday. For the first time, tanks and military checkpoints were deployed in the streets and army patrols circulated. The Interior Ministry warned Bahrainis to stay off the streets. Banks and other key institutions did not open, and workers stayed home, unable or to afraid to pass through checkpoints to get to their jobs.
Barbed wire and police cars with flashing blue lights encircled Pearl Square, the site of anti-government rallies since Monday. Police cleaned up flattened protest tents and trampled banners inside the square, littered with broken glass, tear gas canisters and debris. A body covered in a white sheet lay in a pool of blood on the side of a road about 20 yards (meters) from the landmark square.
Demonstrators had been camping out for days around the square's 300-foot (90-meter) monument featuring a giant pearl, making it the nerve center of the first anti-government protests to reach the Arab Gulf since the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.
The protesters' demands have two main objectives: force the ruling Sunni monarchy to give up its control over top government posts and all critical decisions, and address deep grievances held by the country's majority Shiites who claim they face systematic discrimination and are effectively blocked from key roles in public service and the military.
But among Bahrain's rulers, the prospect of a prolonged crisis raised fears of a potential flashpoint between Iran and its Arab rivals in the Gulf. Bahrain's ruling Sunni dynasty is closely allied to Saudi Arabia and the other Arab regimes in the Gulf. Shiite hard-liners in Iran have often expressed kinship and support for Bahrain's Shiite majority, which accounts for 70 percent of the island's 500,000 citizens.
The police assault came early Thursday with little warning. Mahmoud Mansouri, a protester, said police surrounded the camp and then quickly moved in.
"We yelled, 'We are peaceful! Peaceful!' The women and children were attacked just like the rest of us," he said. "They moved in as soon as the media left us. They knew what they're doing."