Bahrain Protests 2011/12

@Awadhi4: Today morning in Nuwaidrat. #Feb14 #Bahrain

@Awadhi4: Today morning in Nuwaidrat. #Feb14 #Bahrain

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The 2011 Bahrain uprising started on February 14, 2011, in part inspired by the protests in Tunisia and Egypt. However it also grew out of the country’s long history of demonstrations and protests; many of the events of 2011 have echoed those of the 1990s.Initially the February protests were relatively small and scattered, planned by young activists on the Internet. Following a violent response from the security forces and the death of a protester, mainstream opposition groups began to take part and numbers swelled. The protesters called for political reform and equality for the majority Shia population of Bahrain, with many demanding the downfall of the ruling Al Khalifa family. The protests found a focus at the Pearl Roundabout in the capital Manama, where a camp was set up. Government supporters were keen to make their voices heard at rallies in other parts of the country. An early morning raid on the Pearl Roundabout by riot police on February 17, left a number of protesters dead and hundreds injured, but they returned two days later and another camp was established.

Demonstrations continued throughout the country during the next month, until on March 14 Gulf Cooperation Council troops were invited into Bahrain by the government, a State of National Security was announced, and a crackdown against protestors began. Pearl Roundabout was attacked, cleared and the monument at its centre razed. In the weeks that followed hundreds were arrested (including medics who had treated protestors, sportsmen, teachers, and bloggers and journalists), some identified as targets on social networking sites and government television. Many Shia mosques were destroyed, and there were a number of deaths in custody.

The State of National Security was lifted at the beginning of June 2011, although hundreds remained detained. Doctors and nurses and other civilians went on trial in front of military courts, while a number of opposition leaders were sentenced to life imprisonment. A process of National Dialogue was initiated by the King, although the main opposition party pulled out in mid-July.

Despite the government crackdown, small protests continue to take place in Bahrain on an almost daily basis. A Royal Independent Investigation Commission was established at the end of June to look at the events of February and March, and its findings are expected by the end of October 2011.

Please contact Global Voices Middle East and North Africa Editor Amira Al Hussaini if you have links or story ideas, or want to add to this page's resource list.

What we do: Global Voices bloggers from the Middle East and North Africa report on how citizens use the internet and social media to make their voices heard, often translating from Arabic. Check back for further developments to this page.


Featured Global Voices Posts – Bahrain Protests 2011/12

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2012

09 Sep – Bahrain: Despite the Ban, Opposition Protests in the Capital
03 Sep – Bahrain: Leading Opposition Figures on Trial
28 Aug – Bahrain: Prominent Pro-Government Twitter Accounts Stop
30 Jul – Bahrain: Boycott the Olympics
23 Jul – Bahrain: Elderly Men Arrested for “Protecting Women” from Police
15 Mar – Bahrain: Save Bahraini Children From the Regime
11 Mar – Bahrain: Massive Rally Against the Regime
27 Feb – Bahrain: #Hungry4BH Trends Worldwide
15 Feb – Bahrain: Tweeting the Revolution's First Anniversary

2011

18 Dec – Bahrain: #OccupyBudaiyaSt Continues
17 Dec – Bahrain: A Bloody National Day, a Funeral and More Suppression
05 Dec – Bahrain: Twitter User Jailed for 66 Days for Tweeting
06 Nov – Bahrain: Reports of Military Personnel Tortured, Imprisoned, and Killed by Regime
29 Oct – Bahrain: Muharraq United Against Sectarianism
08 Oct – Bahrain: Teen Protester Shot Dead
06 Oct – Bahrain: Dr Ghassan Dhaif Tweets His Jail Experience
05 Oct – Bahrain: 15 Year Jail Sentences for Medics Who Treated Protesters
25 Sep – Bahrain: Protests on Election Eve
08 Sep – Bahrain: Medical Staff Released After Hunger Strike
06 Jul – Bahrain: Regime and Opposition Begin National Dialogue
22 Jun – Bahrain: Opposition Leaders Sentenced to Jail
06 May – Tunisia: Blog Declines Award Sponsored by Bahrain Government
05 Apr – Bahrain: Blogger “Emoodz” Detained

March 2011

30 Mar – Bahrain: Prominent Blogger Mahmood Al-Yousif Arrested
25 Mar – Bahrain: A Friday of Rage Dispersed with Tear Gas
21 Mar – Bahrain: Expats’ Part to Play
20 Mar – Bahrain: A Video Timeline of Police Brutality
19 Mar – Bahrain: Journalists Denied Entry at the Airport
16 Mar – Bahrain: Curfew Announced and An Officer's Funeral
16 Mar – Bahrain: Police and Military Clear Protesters in Manama (Videos)
16 Mar – Bahrain: A Full-Scale Attack
16 Mar – Bahrain: Bloody Crackdowns on Villages
15 Mar – Bahrain: State of National Security Called
14 Mar – Bahrain: Letter from a Blogger, as Saudi Troops Enter
08 Mar – Bahrain: Modest Numbers Turn Out in Front of US Embassy
07 Mar – Bahrain: Hit and Run at Protest
07 Mar – Bahrain: The One Dinar Protest
05 Mar – Bahrain: When Geeks Protest
05 Mar – Bahrain: Tweeps Dreaming of a Better Bahrain
04 Mar – Bahrain: Hamad Town Fight Sparks Rumours and Sectarianism
02 Mar – Bahrain: Schools Break Out in Protest (Videos)
01 Mar – Bahrain: Two Separate Rallies for National Unity

February 2011

28 Feb – Bahrain: Protests Block National Assembly Building
26 Feb – Bahrain: Minor Ministerial Changes
26 Feb – Bahrain: Day of Mourning Observed
25 Feb – Bahrain: The TAKBEER Guy Meme
24 Feb – Bahrain: Official Day of Mourning Declared
23 Feb – Bahrain: Jailed Blogger Ali Abdulemam Free
22 Feb – Bahrain: Loyalty to the Martyrs
21 Feb – Bahrain: Coming Out in Numbers in Search for Unity
20 Feb – Bahrain: Protesters Continue to Camp at Pearl Roundabout
20 Feb – Arab World: The Uprisings Continue
19 Feb – Bahrain: Withdrawal of Police as Protesters Reclaim Lulu Roundabout
19 Feb – Middle East: The Dictator's Handbook now in Bahrain
19 Feb – Bahrain: Army Withdrawing from Lulu Roundabout Area
19 Feb – Bahrain: Live Ammunition Shot at Protesters (Video)
19 Feb – Bahrain: #NickKristof Bullied on Twitter
18 Feb – Bahrain: Mourning the Dead
18 Feb – Bahrain: Crown Prince Calls for Peace on National TV
18 Feb – Bahrain: More Gunshots in Capital
17 Feb – Bahrain: Nicholas Kristof, An Eyewitness
17 Feb – Bahrain: State TV Says Protesters Had Swords, Guns and Ammunition
17 Feb – Bahrain: Protests Erupt at Salmaniya Hospital
17 Feb – Bahrain: Chilling Accounts from Witnesses to Pearl ‘Massacre’
17 Feb – Bahrain: Tanks Head Towards Capital Manama
17 Feb – Bahrain: News of Dawn Raid Provokes Rage and Disbelief
17 Feb – Bahrain: Main Hospital Fills with Lulu Roundabout Wounded
17 Feb – Bahrain: Videos of Dawn Raid on Lulu Roundabout
17 Feb – Bahrain: News on Pearl Roundabout Crackdown Flows
17 Feb – Bahrain: One Person Killed During Pre-Dawn Police Raid
17 Feb – Bahrain: Police Attack Sleeping Protesters
17 Feb – Bahrain: Police Attack Protesters at Pearl Roundabout
16 Feb – Bahrain: Safe Day for Protesters
16 Feb – Bahrain: Pro-Government, Pro-King Voices Emerge
16 Feb – Bahrain: Funeral Procession Marks Third Day of Protests
15 Feb – Bahrain: Day of Wrath Number Two
15 Feb – Pearl Roundabout, Bahrain's Tahrir Square
15 Feb – Bahrain: A Second Man Killed as Police Attack First Victim's Funeral
14 Feb – Bahrain: The Day of Wrath
14 Feb – Bahrain: Snapshots from a Day of Protest and Injury
14 Feb – Bahrain: Police Quash Today's Protests (Videos)
12 Feb – Bahrain: Fighting Sectarian Bigotry Head On
05 Feb – Bahrain: Valentine's Day or a Day of Anger?
01 Feb – Arab World: A Revolution Time-Table

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