Bahrain’s al-Wefaq calls for demos to mark uprising

Bahrain’s al-Wefaq calls for demos to mark uprising
Wed Feb 12, 2014 11:17:39

Bahrainis will hold a nationwide strike on Thursday to mark the third anniversary of their uprising against the ruling Al Khalifa regime.

The call for strike was made by Bahrain’s main opposition bloc, al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, that also urged a mass rally on Saturday to commemorate the February 14 uprising against the Saudi-backed monarchy.

A youth coalition has also urged people to spill out onto the streets on Friday and try to reach the iconic site of the protests which used to be called Pearl Square.

Bahraini authorities razed to the ground the square in the centre of Bahrain's capital Manama in 2011.

Bahrain has been the scene of almost daily protests against the Al Khalifa regime since February 2011, when thousands of pro-democracy protesters took to the streets, calling for the royal family to leave power.

On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates invaded the country to assist the Bahraini regime in its crackdown on peaceful protesters.

According to local sources, scores of people have been killed and hundreds arrested.

Physicians for Human Rights say doctors and nurses have been detained, tortured, or disappeared because they have "evidence of atrocities committed by the authorities, security forces, and riot police" in the crackdown on anti-government protesters.

BA/BA

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