Manama: A Shia teenage died yesterday after he was knocked down by a car while being chased by Bahraini police during a crackdown on protesters, the opposition said.
Ali Radhi was killed as he headed to Diraz village, west of Manama, to attend prayers led by Shia spiritual leader Sheikh Issa Qassim, in response to a call by Al Wefaq, the main Shia opposition formation said on its Twitter page.
“Ali Abbas Radhi is a new martyr due to the brutality of the regime,” Al Wefaq said.
It said Radhi was “ran over by a civilian car while regime forces were besieging the area and arresting citizens heading to the prayers, chasing them and treating them brutally.”
The interior ministry, for its part, said in a statement that a 16-year-old pedestrian was killed in a traffic accident on Khalifa bin Salman highway.
Al Wefaq posted pictures on Facebook and Twitter showing worshippers trying to reach Diraz as police allegedly blocked the roads leading to the Shia village.
Elderly people can be seen in the pictures collapsed on the ground after allegedly being targeted with tear gas.
Regular demonstrations have shaken Bahrain since it crushed a Shia-led uprising against the ruling Sunni regime in March last year. The kingdom came under strong criticism from international rights groups over the deadly crackdown.
According to the International Federation for Human Rights, a total of 80 people have been killed in Bahrain since the violence began on February 14, 2011.
Riot police prevented media and non-residents from reaching Diraz, blocking off all roads and highways. Some arrests were made, witnesses said.
Footage posted on YouTube that could not be independently verified showed a teargas canister going off inside a car carrying women who activists said were on their way to the prayers.
One woman was seen collapsing on the ground after exiting the vehicle.
Last year’s Shia-led protests were initially crushed by the kingdom’s Sunni Muslim monarchy, with martial law and help from Gulf neighbours.
But smaller demonstrations have since resumed and anti-government protesters clash with security forces several times a week. The violence has intensified in recent weeks. On Monday, the government said five home-made bombs killed two people in Manama.
The government accused Lebanese militant group Hezbollah of being behind the attacks. Hezbollah, a Shia group allied with Iran, has previously denied interfering in Bahrain.
Bahrain’s government said on Wednesday it had revoked the nationality of 31 men for damaging national security, including leading dissidents, parliamentarians, clerics and human rights lawyers.Agencies
