Bahrainis Continue Anti-Regime Protests in New Year (+Photos)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Bahraini citizens from all walks of life once again poured into the streets in various parts of the Persian Gulf country on the first day of 2019 to voice their outrage over the Al Khalifa regime’s continued crackdown on dissidents.
During the demonstrations, held on Tuesday, the Bahraini people called for the overthrow of the autocratic government in the island country and the establishment of a democratic one.
The regime forces threw tear gas canisters to disperse the peaceful protesters, according to local reports.
Bahrain, a close ally of the US in the Persian Gulf region, has been witnessing almost daily protests against the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011, with Manama using heavy-handed measures in an attempt to crush the demonstrations.
Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on the peaceful demonstrations.
Amnesty International and many other international rights organizations have frequently censured the Bahraini regime for the rampant human rights abuses against opposition groups and anti-regime protesters.
Since the 1980s, the ruling Al Khalifa regime has been trying to change the Kingdom’s demographic structure which largely consists of Shiites.