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Bahrainis hold anti-regime protests

Anti-government protesters have once again taken to the streets in Bahrain, demanding an end to the rule of Al Khalifa dynasty.

The massive protest rallies were held in towns and villages around the capital, Manama, following the Friday Prayers.

Witnesses say Saudi-backed Bahraini forces attacked anti-regime protesters in the village of Karbabad and detained 10 demonstrators.

There were no immediate reports of clashes and arrests in other towns and villages.

Bahraini protesters have begun a fresh wave of protest rallies after the Manama regime lifted on June 1 a state of emergency imposed during a March crackdown on protesters. Bahraini activists say their protest campaign will continue until the nation’s demands are met.

But despite the lifting of the emergency law, protest rallies are still forbidden and regime forces open fire and beat up those taking part in protest rallies.

Meanwhile, Bahrain’s leading opposition party, al-Wefaq, says the government is to put nearly 400 people on trial for taking part in peaceful protests.

The party says so far up to 50 people have been sentenced for supporting anti-regime campaign, with penalties ranging from a short prison term to execution.

Thousands of anti-government protesters have been staging demonstrations in Bahrain since mid-February, demanding political reforms and a constitutional monarchy, a demand that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests.

Scores of people have been killed and hundreds, including doctors and journalists, were arrested in the Saudi-backed crackdown on peaceful protesters in Bahrain.

Human rights groups and the families of protesters arrested during the crackdown say that most detainees have been physically and mentally abused, while the whereabouts of many of them remain unknown.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have criticized the Manama regime for its brutal crackdown on civilians.

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