Bahraini regime forces fire tear gas at protesters

Bahraini regime forces have fired tear gas on protesters demonstrating against the detention of activists, calling for their immediate release.

Police clashed with protesters in the eastern village of Eker, located about 20 km south of the capital, Manama.

The protesters demanded the release of senior Shia opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman and other political prisoners while chanting anti-regime slogans.

Similar protesters were also staged in the nearby village of Nuwaidrat and in al-Musalla east of the capital.

Sheikh Salman was detained by Bahraini forces on December 28, 2014, two days after he was re-elected as the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society party’s secretary-general.

The opposition leader is charged with seeking to overthrow the Al Khalifa regime and collaborating with foreign powers. The opposition leader strongly denies the allegations.

On April 2, Bahraini forces detained prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, accusing him of insulting authorities and spreading rumors about the Saudi war in Yemen.

Rajab, known internationally for his peaceful human rights work, had spent two years in prison from mid-2012 to mid-2014.

Since February 2011, thousands of anti-regime protesters have held numerous demonstrations on the streets of Bahrain, calling for the Al Khalifa family to relinquish power.

Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.