Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Bahrain forces arrest 15 teenagers




Saudi-backed regime forces in Bahrain have launched nightly raids on homes in a flashpoint eastern town, detaining 15 teenagers, Press TV reports.


On Wednesday night, Al Khalifa regime’s forces carried out military operations in Sitra, making the arrests in a raid on one building.

Similar operations have been reported in the other Shia towns of Budaiya, Musalla, and Sanabis, which are situated to the west of the capital Manama.

In the early hours of Wednesday, the Coalition of Youth of the February 14th Revolution -- an opposition group named after the day when the Bahrainis launched popular revolution against the regime -- called on protesters to march back to the capital's Pearl Square.

The square was razed last year as part of Manama's crackdown on popular protests, having formed the focal point of demonstrations against the ruling regime. The protesters now refer to it as the Martyr's Square.

On Tuesday, Saudi-backed regime forces fired rubber bullets and teargas canisters to disperse the protesters, who were attempting to march to the square to mark the first anniversary of their revolution. More than 30 people, including Nabeel Rajab, the president of non-profit NGO, Bahrain Center for Human Rights, and six American activists, were arrested during the demonstrations.

Also on Wednesday, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced concern in a statement about the ongoing violence in Bahrain.

He said that Manama was expected "to act in accordance with international human rights obligations."

"The secretary-general is concerned about reports of clashes in Bahrain between security forces and demonstrators over the past few days," the statement said.

Since the outset of their protests, Bahrainis have been calling for an end to the rule of the Al Khalifa dynasty. Scores of people have been killed and hundreds others arrested in the Bahraini regime's suppression of the demonstrations.

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