Regime Assassinates teen on Anniversary of Uprising

Teen dies as crowds protest in Bahrain on 2nd anniversary of uprising
14 February, 2013 – Shafaqna

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) — A teen died in clashes in Bahrain as protesters hit the streets Thursday on the two-year anniversary of a failed uprising in the nation, authorities said. Authorities are investigating the Thursday morning death of a 16-year-old teen and trying to determine how it occurred, according to a government statement.

Al-Wefaq, Bahrain’s main Shiite opposition party, said the teen was killed when he was hit by bird pellets shot by Bahraini security forces. Protesters demonstrated in several villages around Manama, the nation’s capital Thursday, the second anniversary of a major uprising. Two years ago, on February 14, protests began with many demanding political reforms and greater freedoms in the Sunni-ruled, Shiite majority nation.

The unrest was spurred by movements in Tunisia and Egypt. But demonstrations in Bahrain failed to gain the traction of other Arab Spring uprisings after a crackdown by authorities in the island state. The crackdown was backed by troops from nearby Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

In November of that year, Bahrain’s Independent Commission of Inquiry issued a report critical of authorities’ reactions to the protests. The independent commission, set up by the king, concluded that the police had used excessive force and torture in their response to the protests in Sunni-ruled, Shiite-majority country.

Abuse of detainees in the crackdown included beatings with metal pipes and batons, and threats of rape and electrocution, according to Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni, the commission chairman. The report recommended reforms to the country’s law and better training of its security forces, as well as other measures. …source