King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa issued a new decree on Tuesday, which modified the law on public gatherings to “ban organizing protests, rallies, gatherings or sit-ins in Manama, with the exception of sit-ins outside (offices of) international organizations” held with written police authorization, AFP reported.

The monarch also toughened penalties against the guardians of minors caught taking part in anti-regime protests.

According to the new law, guardians will be given a warning the first time a juvenile is arrested for participating in anti-regime protests and if the act is repeated, the guardians will be fined or jailed for a minimum of one year, or face both penalties.

The opposition is planning to hold a major protest rally on August 14. Manama regime has warned that would-be protesters would face the “force of the law.”

Two weeks ago, Bahrain’s loyalist-dominated parliament approved a bill giving tough new powers to authorities to address what they called an upsurge in “terrorist” violence in the country, which in reality aims at quelling anti-regime protests.

The new anti-terror law gives the government the power to revoke the citizenship of anyone recognized as guilty of committing or inciting an act of terrorism.”

Bahrainis have been staging demonstrations since mid-February 2011, demanding political reform and a constitutional monarchy, a demand that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests.

Scores have been killed, many of them under torture while in custody, and thousands more detained since the popular uprising in Bahrain began.

Protesters say they will continue holding anti-regime demonstrations until their demand for the establishment of a democratically-elected government and an end to rights violations are met.

HM/KA/