BBC News Middle East
16 February 2011 Last updated at 08:22 GMT
Bahrain protests: Anti-government campaign gathers pace
Protesters camped out in main square Many protesters say they will stay until
their demands are met
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Thousands of protesters are gathering the Bahraini capital Manama after two
days of clashes with police in which two people died.
Many of them are attending the funeral of the second victim, killed at the
funeral of the first.
Some say they will stage a sit-in on the main square until their demands for
political reform are met.
Meanwhile the interior minister said police allegedly involved in the killings
had been arrested.
Bahrain's King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa promised to investigate the deaths in
a TV address on Tuesday.
The US, which has a big naval base in Bahrain, expressed concern at the
killings and called for restraint.
"The United States is very concerned by recent violence surrounding protests in
Bahrain," state department spokesman PJ Crowley said in a statement.
"We also call on all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from violence."
The disturbances in Bahrain - where the Shia majority has been ruled by a Sunni
Muslim royal family since the 18th Century - are part of a wave of
anti-government unrest that has swept the Middle East.
Internet restricted
The demonstrators say they want:
* political prisoners to be released
* more jobs and housing
* the creation of a more representative and empowered parliament
* a new constitution written by the people
* a new cabinet that does not include Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin
Salman Al Khalifa, who has been in office for 40 years
The funeral is being held for 31-year-old Fadel Salman Matrouk, who was shot
dead in clashes at the funeral of a previous victim killed in Monday's clashes
in the village of Daih.
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King Hamad expressed regret about the deaths
It is unclear how many people the latest demonstrations will attract, as many
will have to return to work after Tuesday's public holiday to mark the Prophet
Muhammad's birthday.
But correspondents say that so far momentum appears to still be with the
protests.
In a rare TV appearance on Tuesday, Sheikh Hamad expressed regret at the
fatalities and said he would continue reforms begun in 2002 when the emirate
became a constitutional monarchy.
Following the address, thousands of protesters gathered in Pearl Square in
central Manama. Some said more than 10,000 people were there.
Police were deployed on the other side of a bridge leading to the square, but
took no further action.
The Bahrain Youth Society For Human Rights said many of the protesters had
brought tents, blankets and carpets.
The group also said the country's internet connections were being restricted to
hamper the uploading of videos and pictures from the protests.
Opposition boycott
Since independence from the UK in 1971, tensions between the Sunni elite and
the less affluent Shia have frequently caused civil unrest. Shia groups say
they are marginalised, subject to unfair laws, and repressed.
The conflict lessened in 1999 when Sheikh Hamad became emir. He freed political
prisoners, allowed exiles to return, and abolished a law permitting the
government to detain individuals without trial for three years.
He also began a cautious process of democratic reform. In 2001, voters approved
a National Action Charter that would transform Bahrain into a constitutional
monarchy. The next year, Sheikh Hamad proclaimed himself king and decreed that
a National Assembly be formed.
There was also greater protection of democracy and human rights. Although
political parties were banned, "political societies" could operate.
Landmark elections were held in 2002, but the opposition boycotted them because
the appointed upper chamber of parliament, the Shura Council, was given equal
powers to the elected lower chamber, the Council of Representatives.
The BBC's Kevin Connolly says Bahrain has a close relationship with the US and
the US Fifth Fleet has its home there - a factor which guarantees that
Washington will be watching events in the kingdom closely.
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