Bahraini human rights activist injured

Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab and a number of other anti-regime protesters have been injured in an attack by Saudi-backed security forces.

Rajab, who is the president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, and several other people were taken to a hospital after the incident, which occurred outside Manama on Friday.

Regime forces have denied responsibility for the attack, saying they found Rajab lying on the ground after he was beaten. According to witnesses on the scene, Rajab had bruises on his face.

Bahrain’s main opposition party, al-Wefaq, has condemned the attack on Rajab.

The Bahraini revolution began in mid-February 2011, when the people, inspired by the popular revolutions that toppled the dictators of Tunisia and Egypt, started holding massive popular demonstrations.

The Bahraini government promptly launched a brutal crackdown on the peaceful protests and called in Saudi-led Arab forces from neighboring Persian Gulf states.

Dozens of people have been killed in the crackdown and the security forces have arrested hundreds, including doctors and nurses accused of treating injured revolutionaries.

A report published by an independent committee in November found that the Al Khalifa regime used excessive force and accused Manama of torturing political activists, politicians, and protesters.