Bahraini forces raid houses, arrest 15

Bahraini forces raid houses, arrest 15
Fri May 17, 2013 14:53:44

Bahraini regime forces carrying out home raids on Friday in several districts and detained at least 15 civilians.

The detainees are the settlers of Karzkan, al-Sahleh, al-Naeim, al-Deir and al-Diyeh districts, Al-Alam reported.


The regime forces also fired tear gas and sound bombs to disperse anti-regime protesters took to the streets around the nearby houses.


Outraged protesters chanted slogans such as “The people want the fall of the regime,” and “Down with Hamad,” referring to Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

 

Elsewhere, a 62-year-old Bahraini protester has been sentenced to three months in prison for hanging a national flag from his truck during a 2011 rally. The case comes after tougher penalties were introduced for insults to the Bahrain’s ruler or symbols.


Prosecutors stated that draping the flag over a vehicle during the 2011 rally was an offense under the new restrictions, Associated Press reported adding that the specific charges remained unclear.


Abdulla Sayegh admitted that he attended pro-reform protests, however maintained that many Bahrainis fly flags from vehicles during all kinds of gatherings, be it celebrations, anti-government or pro-government rallies.


The demonstrator plans to appeal the jail sentence and the 100 dinar ($265) fine, according to his defense lawyer Hashim Saleh.


This comes after six tweeters were jailed on Wednesday for posting comments about King Hamad bin Issa al Khalifa, which the court regarded as ‘abusing freedom of expression.’


In April, Bahrain introduced stricter penalties making it illegal to insult the state's King Hamad or national symbols, charges that carry up to five-year jail sentences.


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.

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