SITRA, Bahrain, 24 February 2007 — Several Shiite villages in Bahrain witnessed heavy clashes between protesters and anti-riot police on Thursday night, which led to the arrest of at least 10 people. The villagers were protesting the detention of a resident accused of subversive activities to destabilize the state. The most serious of clashes took place in Sitra, south of the capital Manama, where more than 100 protesters blocked village roads and set refuse on fire. Protesters also set a car on fire and exploded two gas cylinders during the clashes that lasted well into early this morning. Anti-riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets during the three-hour struggle for control of the main village street, as protesters hurled stones and empty bottles toward them. The clashes left at least two protesters slightly injured as a result of tear gas inhalation, while a policeman suffered minor injuries after being hit with a stone. The clashes also damaged two cars and the front of a local restaurant. The villages of Sanabis and Daih, west of Manama, also witnessed clashes with protesters there hurling Molotov cocktails at police who tried to disperse them after they blocked roads with burning refuse. The Ministry of Interior said that several youth aged between 15 and 23 were also arrested near the village of Karbab on the outskirts of the capital after they set tires ablaze in the main street. The new wave of clashes began in the village of Abu Saiba, west of Manama, last Saturday after police arrested villager Radhi Ali Radhi following a morning raid on his home. The detention of Radhi, who is in his early 20s, caused relatives and friends to organize a protest the same day in front of the village entrance to demand his release, which later led to clashes with police. Radhi and a second defendant were detained for what police said their role in Feb. 15 riots where police came under Molotov cocktail attacks. The Ministry of Interior said that confessions obtained following the recent arrests had uncovered a clandestine operation to destabilize the country’s security. According to the statement, 35 youths between the ages of 20 and 25 trained to use Molotov cocktails at a farm in the village of Bani Jamrah, west of Manama, a claim that had been denied by villagers and the Shiite opposition in the legislature. Bahraini officials have insisted that the arrests have not targeted any particular group and that they are based on violations of Bahraini law. The latest wave of clashes come after those between protesters and police broke out earlier in the month following the arrest of Haq Movement Secretary-General Hassan Mushaima and Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) President Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja. The two along with a third activist were released after the public prosecution slapped five charges against the two including endangering state security, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years if convicted. Their arrests came after they made statements critical of the authorities during the Shiite observation of Muharram. The authorities alleged their statements amounted to inciting people to overthrow the government. Mushaima, 58, and Al-Khawaja, 46, who had been detained in the past for lengthy periods because of their political activities, have denied the charges.
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