Pivotal day for Bahrain as protests continue
By the CNN Wire Staff
February 22, 2011 -- Updated 0624 GMT (1424 HKT)
Inside Bahrain protests
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* The king releases some prisoners and closes cases against several Shia
leaders
* The move clears the way for the leader of Bahrain's largest opposition
party
* "I know that thousands will be waiting for me," says Mushaimaa
* Funeral is scheduled for a protester who was shot
Manama, Bahrain (CNN) -- Tuesday promises to be a pivotal day for Bahrain as
the country continues to buckle under the weight of anti-government protests
that have swept through the Middle East.
Hassan Mushaimaa, leader of Bahrain's largest opposition party the Haq Movement
planned to arrive home, cleared by an announcement that the country is closing
cases against several Shia leaders.
At the same time, more mass protests were planned for Tuesday along with a
funeral for one of the protesters shot last week.
Bahrain's king ordered the release of a number of prisoners and closed cases
against several Shia leaders accused of plotting against the kingdom, the
country's state news agency reported early Tuesday.
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King Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa named the leaders during a national unity speech
last year, leading to the arrest of several of them and the exile of several
others who were out of the country at the time.
The announcement cleared the way for Mushaimaa's return.
"I know that thousands will be waiting for me," he said.
Meanwhile, thousands of additional protesters moved into Pearl Roundabout on
Monday, a growing gathering that has taken on an air of permanence since
government forces retreated on Saturday and demonstrators reoccupied the
symbolic location. Tents, some of them outfitted with furniture and occupied by
entire families, dot the square in Manama.
Mushaimaa said he supported the views of the protesters.
"If the people want a new system in a constitutional kingdom, I will be with
them," he said. "If the people just want to change the regime, I will also be
standing beside them."
Mushaimaa, who has been living abroad, had previously been detained by the
government for campaigning for more democratic rights in the island monarchy.
In September, Bahrain said it requested Interpol -- the world's largest
international police organization -- to help in arresting Mushaimaa, whom the
government accused of a terrorist plot to destroy state buildings and of
planning a coup.
But the king's decision closed the books on the case against Mushaimaa, giving
him the freedom to return without fear of arrest.
Protesters initially took to the streets of Manama last week to demand reform
and the introduction of a constitutional monarchy.
But some are now calling for the removal of the royal family, which has led the
Persian Gulf state since the 18th century.
Young members of the country's Shiite Muslim majority have staged violent
protests in recent years to complain about discrimination, unemployment and
corruption, issues they say the country's Sunni rulers have done little to
address.
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights says authorities launched a clampdown on
dissent in late 2010. It accused the government of torturing some human rights
activists.
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