Bahrain: Teenager killed in protests

Late last night after clashes with riot police in Bahrain a 16 year old boy died from injuries. A spokesperson from the Bahrain Center for Human Rights claims that the teenager, Husam al-Hadad dies of wounds received from a beating by security forces. The Ministry of the Interior confirmed his death but claimed a-Hadad attacked security forces with molotov cocktails.

Since demonstrations against the Sunni dominated regime began back in February 2011 at least 50 people have died. In spite of this the U.S. has resumed shipment of arms to Bahrain that had been suspended. The Shia majority have been asking for more political rights. Although the monarch has implemented some reforms they have been limited and the regime has continued to crack down on opposition to the regime.

While western media is busy with wide coverage of the Pussy Riot sentences of two years for a protest in an Orthodox Church, in Bahrain an activist was just recently sentenced for three years for merely attending an unauthorized protest. Now a demonstrator is killed. There is very little coverage from western media.

The death occurs just a day after actviist Nabeel Rajab was handed down his three year sentence. Human rights organizations have protested the trial and the sentence. Other people who committed the same type of crime never got more than six months. The Bahraini government is obviously out to punish prominent activists more severely as a warning that being a leader of the opposition leads to jail. For more see this article.