Bahraini regime forces break up demos, arrest 25 protesters

Saudi-backed Bahraini security forces have arrested 25 protesters at anti-regime demonstrations in and around Manama, activists say.

On Monday, demonstrations were held in Manama and several villages near the capital to commemorate the anniversary of the martyrdom of two activists in 1994.

Sayed Yousif Al-Muhafda, the head of monitoring and evaluation of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, was one of the people arrested.

Bahraini security forces used tear gas, rubber bullets, and stun grenades to disperse the demonstrators.

The protesters called for the release of all jailed activists and demanded that King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa step down.

Since mid-February 2011, thousands of pro-democracy protesters have staged numerous demonstrations in the streets of Bahrain, calling for the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power.

On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates invaded the country to assist the Bahraini government in its crackdown on the peaceful protesters.

According to local sources, scores of people have been killed and hundreds arrested.

Physicians for Human Rights says doctors and nurses have been detained, tortured, or disappeared because they have “evidence of atrocities committed by the authorities, security forces, and riot police” in the crackdown on anti-government protesters.