Bahraini regime forces have once again clashed with pro-democracy protesters demanding the release of a prominent jailed opposition leader.
Thousands of demonstrators poured onto the streets of Sitra, south of the capital Manama, on Friday.
The demonstrators rallied to vent their anger at the continued detention of al-Wefaq's secretary-general, Sheikh Ali Salman. They called for the immediate release of the top opposition leader and other activists held in detention.
The troops attacked the protesters and fired birdshot, tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the angry crowd in the troubled region. Several protesters were severely injured during the crackdown.
Also on Thursday, the Bahraini regime forces shot people directly in the head during a protest in Bilad al-Qadeem, a suburb of Manama.
On Tuesday, prominent Bahraini Shia cleric, Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Ahmed Qassim, said anti-regime demonstrations will continue in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom as long as Salman is held in detention.
According to the Bahraini prosecutor, Nayef Mahmud, the opposition leader is charged with "promoting regime change by force, threats, and illegal means, and of insulting the Interior Ministry publicly."
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has recently called on the Bahraini regime to release Salman.
“We’ve spoken out repeatedly on Bahrain, I think I have told you that the secretary general has called for the release,” Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesman for the UN chief, told reporters on Thursday.
Bahrain has been witnessing almost daily protests against the Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011, when an uprising began in the kingdom. Since then, thousands of protesters have held numerous rallies in the streets of Bahrain, calling for the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power.
