- NEW: Slain protester was a photographer documenting demonstrations, activists say
- NEW: Saturday protests planned in solidarity with noted human rights leader
- Opposition party says a pro-government militia fired on protesters
- Police say the shooter was in a civilian car and that they are investigating
(CNN) -- A 22-year-old protester died early Saturday in a shooting that the main Shiite opposition party Al-Wefaq blamed on neighborhood militias loyal to the regime.
The victim, identified by police as Ahmed Ismael Abdulsam, died of a gunshot wound to the thigh, the country's chief of Public Security, Major-General Tariq Al Hassan said in a statement released by the Interior Ministry.
The shooter was apparently driving a civilian car, according to the statement. The case is being investigated as a murder, police said.
Al-Wefaq blamed a group of men in civilian clothing for the death of the man, whom opposition activists described as a photographer who frequently brought a camera to demonstrations to document the events.
He was shot late Friday while attending a demonstration in the village of Salambad, Al-Wefaq said. The group cited eyewitnesses, who said Hassan was taken to a hospital where he died of his injuries early Saturday.
Demonstrations in Bahrain failed to gain the traction of other Arab Spring uprisings following a crackdown by the authorities in the island state, backed by troops from nearby Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
In November of last year, Bahrain's Independent Commission of Inquiry issued a report that was highly critical of the authorities' reaction to the protests, which began in February 2011, spurred by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.
The independent commission, set up by Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, found that between February and April of last year, 35 people had been killed as a result of the unrest there.
Demonstrators and Bahraini authorities have continued to clash in recent months, with the opposition accusing the government of using heavy handed tactics.
Opposition activists say more protests are planned for Saturday evening, with many protest leaders calling for people to come out in solidarity with Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, one of Bahrain's most prominent human rights activists.
Al-Khawaja was sentenced to life in prison in June for his role in the anti-government demonstrations that swept through Bahrain a year ago. He has been on hunger strike for more than 50 days in protest of his sentence.
On Friday, Amnesty International issued a statement calling on Bahraini authorities to release al-Khawaja amid fears that he is at risk of death.
A member of al-Khawaja's family told CNN they were informed that al-Khawaja had been taken to a hospital due to his deteriorating condition but were not allowed to visit with him.
No comments:
Post a Comment