State Violence intensifies against democracy seekers in Bahrain

Bahrain government cracks down on protests as majority boycott elections
Mon, 09/26/2011 – 13:37 – Free Speech Radio

In Bahrain today a court set up by the monarchy sentenced the head of the teachers’ union to 10 years in prison for participation in anti-regime protests. His deputy received three years. The sentences follow returned protests, which began last week ahead of elections that took place Saturday.

Security forces used stun grenades, rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters according to witnesses in the village of Sanabis.

A video posted on Youtube shows security forces in riot gear stomping on an unarmed man as he lies on the ground. A woman tries to intervene, and a policeman sprays her in the face with a canister as a crowd gathers.

According to the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, security forces attacked protesters in the lead up to the voting. Government forces also arrested 45 women and girls in one of Bahrain’s main shopping malls days before the election, according to the AP.

The majority Shiite opposition critical of the monarchy rule boycotted Saturday’s elections, which were scheduled to elect replacements for more than a dozen lawmakers who resigned in protest of how the regime responded to the demonstrations. A second round of voting will take place October 1, as some candidates failed to win 50 percent of the vote. …source