Bahrain forces attack pro-democracy demonstrators

Saudi-backed security forces have attacked anti-regime protesters in Bahrain by teargas and birdshots.
On Saturday, pro-democracy protesters took to streets of the nearby villages of Nuwaidrat and al-Eker, in the south of the capital Manama, where clashes erupted.

There were no immediate reports of casualties amid mediablackout on Bahraini opposition against the Al Khalifa regime.

The demonstrators called on the royal family to step down and voiced solidarity with political prisoners, demanding their immediate release.

Since mid-February 2011, thousands of protesters have held numerous demonstrations in the streets of Bahrain, calling on the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power.

In March 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were called in to help Manama quash the protests.

Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.

On June 10, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) censured the Manama regime for human rights violations in Bahrain. A total of 46 members of the international body expressed deep concern over the Al Khalifa regime’s crackdown on peaceful protesters.