A 20-year old Bahraini protester has died of injuries he suffered during last week’s violent protests marking the second anniversary of the failed pro-democracy uprising against the rule of the country’s Sunni royal family, the Gulf state’s main opposition group reported Friday.
According to a statement released by the Al Wefaq opposition movement, Mahmood al-Jazeeri succumbed to his injuries in hospital on Friday after being struck in the head by a tear gas canister fired by police during a protest in Al-Daih, a village west of capital Manama, seven days ago
Aljazeeri is the third person to have died as a result of clashes between police and anti-government demonstrators during the violent February 14 anniversary protests. The other two were a policeman and and 16-year-old relative of Mahmood al-Jazeeri.
While the policeman, Mohammed Asif, died after being fatally injured by a projectile thrown by protesters, Hussain al-Jaziri was killed after he was reportedly shot by police in the stomach during the protest in Al-Daih. Bahraini authorities have ordered separate investigations into the two deaths.
Shiite-led pro-democracy protests had broken out in Bahrain in February 2011 as a fallout of the ‘Arab Spring’ that saw the toppling of entrenched rulers in North Africa and the Middle East. Bahraini government suppressed the unrest. Some 35 protesters were killed in the crackdown and many of the detained opposition activists were sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
Nevertheless, the tiny island nation continues to witness frequent protests staged by the opposition and the Shiite majority, who have long been complaining about discrimination. They are demanding greater political rights and want the Sunni monarchy to hand over most of its powers to an elected Parliament.
More than 80 people are estimated to have been killed in Bahrain since February 2011. Notably, developments in the strategic island nation is of particular concern to Washington as the oil-rich Kingdom is home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
by RTT Staff Writer
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