Bahrain: Shiite Demonstrator Shot Dead By Government Forces
A Shiite Bahraini was killed Friday night near the capital Manama by police firing who came under attack, the Kingdom’s Interior Ministry said Saturday in a statement. The Wefaq, the main Shiite opposition movement, said the victim, Nemat Hussein, 17, was hit by a bullet during the latest Shiite protest.
According to the ministry, a police patrol was targeted by an attack with Molotov cocktails and acted in “self-defense against this terrorist act.”
One of the attackers was shot and his death was confirmed by an emergency services team called to site, the source said.
On Friday afternoon, thousands of Shia Bahrainis participated in a demonstration demanding the departure of Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa, in office since 1971 . The opposition claims he is hostile to any political reform.
Rallies between the Shiite villages of Dia and Sahla, near the capital were peaceful but small groups of demonstrators decided in night to confront the regime’s forces.
Bahrain has been shaken since early 2011 by a protest movement, led by Shiites demanding a constitutional monarchy in the small Gulf kingdom, which led by the Sunni dynasty of Al-Khalifa.
According to Amnesty International, 60 people have been killed since the beginning of this movement.
