Sunday, April 10, 2011

Bahraini forces raze 5 mosques

Saudi-backed Bahraini forces have reportedly destroyed 5 mosques in Hamad Town and Mahooz village in the east and northeast of the country as the regime continues its brutal crackdown on protesters.


The mosques were razed on Sunday, a day after the Al Khalifa regime admitted that two protesters had died in its custody.

Bahraini troops had earlier destroyed Watiyah Mosque in Mahooz .

Destruction of the religious sites has become a new scare tactic sanctioned by Manama in its attempts to suppress the popular protests, which began on February 14.

The security forces have also shot and killed a protester in Bilad al-Qadeem -- a Manama suburb town.

A recently-surfaced video showed forces firing tear gas canisters at peoples' homes.

Also on Sunday, a funeral procession was held in Sehla for Ali Isa Saqer, a 31-year-old who died the day before in police custody after alleged physical abuse by Bahraini security forces.

Saqer was a human rights activist. His body bore signs of torture.

On Saturday Maryam al-Khawaja of the Bahrain Center of Human Rights told Press TV that the number of detainees in Bahrain has reached 800, including at least 25 women.

Dozens of people have been killed and thousand others injured since the start of the revolution, which urges the ouster of the royal family.

Led by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain's Arab neighbors deployed their troops to the country in mid-March to reinforce the armed attacks against protesters. The reinforcements have reportedly contributed to an increase in the use of violence against protesters.

On Thursday, the international medical and humanitarian organization of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) confirmed earlier reports that Manama-paid forces swoop on the country's medical centers soon after injured patients trust medical authorities with their identification and inform them that their injuries are protest-related.

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