Bahraini regime forces attack protesters outside Manama

Saudi-backed Bahraini forces have attacked thousands of anti-regime protesters on the outskirts of the capital city of Manama, Press TV reports. On Friday, police fired teargas at demonstrators who were calling for the release of prominent human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who has been on a hunger strike for nearly two months, as well as other imprisoned activists. The massive rally was organized by the main opposition bloc al-Wefaq. Meanwhile, a female anti-regime protester died on Friday, almost a month after a teargas canister hit her home during an overnight attack by regime forces. Her death comes a week after regime forces shot dead a young protester in the village of Salmabad. On Thursday night, Bahraini forces arrested al-Khawaja’s daughter, Zainab, for protesting against her father's detention. Activists say she has now been transferred to a prison outside Manama. Last week, Amnesty International called for the ‘immediate and unconditional release’ of al-Khawaja and other detained activists in the country. The rights group considers al-Khawaja a ‘prisoner of conscience, detained solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression.’ Al-Khawaja, the co-founder and former president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, was arrested in last April and was later sentenced to life in prison by a military court last June for what it described as ‘plotting to overthrow the government.’ According to Amnesty International, his conviction was based on a confession he made under duress, and no evidence was presented showing he had used or advocated violence during the mass anti-regime protests.