Protesters burn refuse to block a street during clashes with police following the funeral of 31-year-old Yousif Ali Nashmi in Masalah village on the outskirts of Manama yesterday. Thousands of mourners marched during the funeral of Nashmi, who died in hospital on Friday following his release from police detention.
AFP/Manama
Anti-riot police in Bahrain used buckshot, sound grenades and teargas yesterday to disperse hundreds of Shia protesters trying to march on an iconic square in Manama, witnesses said.
The demonstrators were trying to reach Pearl Square, the focus of Shia-led protests in 2011, after the funeral of a Shia detainee who died in hospital in the capital on Friday.
The witnesses said several protesters were injured when the security forces intervened, although they were unable to give a specific number.
Demonstrators chanted slogans against the authorities.
Pearl Square was the epicentre of the 2011 Arab-Spring-inspired protests.
Bahraini Shias continue to demonstrate in villages outside the capital and frequently clash with police.
In August, King Hamad decreed stiffer penalties for “terror acts”. These include a minimum 10-year jail term for an attempted bombing. If such attacks cause casualties, the sentence can be life imprisonment or the death penalty.
At least 89 people have been killed since the protests began two-and-a-half years ago, according to the International Federation for Human Rights.
