Emeute à المحرق Muharraq – 21 janvier 2012

Bahrain violence on the rise, funeral attacked with tear gas

bikyamasr.com

| 22 January 2012

DUBAI and CAIRO: The Bahrain government continues to increase its attacks on pro-democracy protesters in the country, killing a child over the weekend and attacking a funeral of another victim of the state-sponsored violence.

On Saturday police and pro-government supporters clashed with hundreds of mourners in Muharraq, north of the Bahraini capital Manama, as they marched in the funeral of 24-year-old Yousif Muwali, who died in controversial circumstances on January 13.

Muwali had gone missing on January 11 before his body was found on the sea-shore. Authorities say he died after drowning at sea, while relatives claim that he died in police custody and later had his body dumped by the shore.

The body was released to the family Saturday morning, but the authorities declined to authorize a funeral march. Mourners attempted to march inside the graveyard but clashes broke-out as they tried to head from the graveyard to a nearby street.

Earlier on Saturday, Yassin Asfour, 14, died due to inhalation of toxic gas. Friends close to the family told Bikyamasr.com that doctors attempted to save his life, but due to his asthma they “couldn’t do anything.”

Citizens then took to the streets to protest the continued deaths that are rising, even after a November inquiry into the violence hoped to move the country away from the near constant street battles.

Saturday’s clashes left several injuries and several cars of people taking part in the funeral were damaged. The vice chairman of the opposition grouping Ekha, Ali Yousif Qodrat, was detained by police after they stormed the graveyard firing tear-gas.

The police action was backed-up by pro-government supporters armed with sticks and hurling rocks at mourners from various sides of the graveyard, before police finally stopped their assault but allowed them to remain in the vicinity and behind police lines. Read more…